We've seen more than a few Tesla Roadsters in and around CES, but the crimson convertible parked at Fulton Innovation stands apart. The company managed to retrofit its latest inductive charging system to the undercarriage of the Roadster, with an AC/DC converter running up and through the venting aft of the driver's side door and right below the charging port. Granted, it's not pretty, but Fulton was primarily trying to prove it wouldn't take much to retrofit the Tesla with a wireless charging system.
According to Fulton, the inductive system is 80% efficient and a few tweaks could boost that to almost 90% – just a few percentage points shy of the traditional wired charger. More importantly, the efficiency actually increases as you boost the voltage, which could further reduce charge times.
Fulton and its partners also worked on a smartphone application that can keep track of charging, estimate completion time and identify your vehicle when you pull into a charging station, allowing you to pay for your juice right through the app. Our compatriots at Engadget shot video of the system in action, along with some of the other applications Fulton is working on. Check it out.
According to Fulton, the inductive system is 80% efficient and a few tweaks could boost that to almost 90% – just a few percentage points shy of the traditional wired charger. More importantly, the efficiency actually increases as you boost the voltage, which could further reduce charge times.
Fulton and its partners also worked on a smartphone application that can keep track of charging, estimate completion time and identify your vehicle when you pull into a charging station, allowing you to pay for your juice right through the app. Our compatriots at Engadget shot video of the system in action, along with some of the other applications Fulton is working on. Check it out.
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