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Electric Vehicle and Roadway (EVR)

The Electric Vehicle & Roadway (EVR) Research Facility and Test Track is a state-of-the-art facility at the forefront of wirelessly charged electric vehicle and roadway technologies. The EVR is ideal for design and control of power electronics: efficient machines, inverters, extending battery life, and energy management are among core objectives. Current projects involve the development of a reconfigurable hybrid Micro-grid for AC and DC systems, with a 20kW solar array (expanding to 120kW). The design and functionality of the EVR enables SELECT to pursue commercial partnerships and research associations that collaboratively advance sustainably electrified transportation.

Key Features

750 kW utility, 4800 ft2 dual high bay, ¼ mile electrified track, Gustav-Klein 250 kW bidirectional power supply, 12-channel +/- 300 A Arbin cell cycler, Dynamometer, Vehicle Lifts, DC & AC micro-grid, 120 kW solar array, 100 kWh on-site energy storage, EVSE (two L2 and 50kW fast charger), Expansive tool suite including oscilloscopes, power analyzer, LCR meters, EM/FEM analysis software, and many others.

EVR
EVR car on track Aggie bus on the EVR track

Fast Facts

  • Builds on USU’s groundbreaking research legacy in stationary inductive power transfer
  • 4,800 sq. ft. high-bay research building and surrounding electrified one quarter mile test track
  • Capacity for 750 kW of power with AC-to-track and DC-to-track provisions
  • Modular charging pads embedded under the track wirelessly power in-motion electric vehicles
  • Construction completed early spring 2015
  • Energy taken to the vehicle (the point of use) much like electrical wiring takes energy to the point of use
  • The only facility like it in the nation—similar existing research facilities are associated with Volvo in Sweden and with USU collaborator KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) in Daejeon, Korea
  • EVR capabilities will be leveraged in secure continuing research funding from federal agencies and industry

Research Facility and Test Track

The electric vehicle and roadway research facility and test track is a glimpse into the future of advanced, electric automotive transportation. Using wireless inductive power transfer pads embedded underneath the roadway, electric vehicles can seamlessly charge while they are in motion, drastically reducing the need for large battery packs and cumbersome charging stations.

The EVR is a state-of-the-art facility at the forefront of wirelessly charged electric vehicle and roadway technologies engineering research, development, and testing.

Transportation Electrification Potential Benefits

  • Electric vehicles (EVs) can attain unlimited driving range
  • Up to estimated 30% savings on purchase price and 75% savings on operating costs compared to traditional, gasoline-powered vehicle
  • Significant drops in environmentally toxic EV battery production
  • An overall 60% drop in the cost of owning and operating a personal vehicle
  • The birth of a new generation of engineers, construction crews, vehicle manufacturers, and researchers that design, build, and maintain an advanced EV network
  • Estimated 20% reduction in air pollution and 10% reduction in CO2 emissions in United States by 2035 (with EV market penetration of 20% by 2035)
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