In the current oil-dependent energy economy, electric vehicle technology is a promising gasoline alternative that is a step towards a sustainable future. Fueled by electricity that can be generated by nuclear reactors, wind turbines, and solar panels, electric vehicles offer a less expensive and cleaner alternative to automobiles with an internal combustion engine.

As the electric vehicle (EV) market expands, a number of major auto manufacturers are designing and producing their own EVs. One of the most publicized is the Chevrolet Volt, an EV-gas hybrid that is due to enter the market in 2010 (Chevrolet Volt, 2009, para. 4). Tesla Motors, a startup company based in California, markets the Tesla Roadster, a vehicle powered exclusively by electricity (Tesla Motors, 2009, para. 1). Other major auto manufacturers with EV or Gas-electric hybrid prototypes include : Nissan, Renault, Audi, Honda, Toyota, and Mitsubishi (Moffett, 2009, para. 4). With large investments from corporations on electric vehicles and from governments to build a support infrastructure, the electric vehicle sector is positioned to grow as the consumers look for cheaper alternatives to gasoline.

Both purely electric vehicles and gas-electric hybrids require some form of charging to function and maintain a fuel cost advantage over gasoline-powered vehicles. When being recharged, the vehicle must always remain stationary while it is charged at the inconvenience of the owner. This wait could be avoided by implementing a system that allows an electric vehicle to continue to move while it is recharged. The purpose of this project is to design and test systems that would recharge the batteries of an electric vehicle while it is in motion.

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