Electrified transportation on the horizon at Utah State
Utah State University hosted a Sunrise Session in Salt Lake City Friday morning, showcasing the university’s work on electric transportation, specifically electrifying roadways.
The presentation was entitled “Electrification: Towards a Sustainable Future for our Transportation System,” and was presented by Regan Zane, professor of computer and electrical engineering.
Sunrise Sessions are hosted quarterly by the USU Office of Research and Graduate Studies. Open to the public, these early morning presentations are intended to bring the research and innovations being developed in Logan down to Salt Lake, the hub of Utah industry and government.
Hosted in the Little America Hotel, the morning began with a complimentary breakfast and networking among those in attendance. Attendees included USU President Stan Albrecht, College of Engineering Dean Christine Hailey, USU Research Foundation President Scott Hinton, representatives from business and government offices around the Salt Lake Valley, faculty of the USU Engineering Department, USU graduate and undergraduate researchers, as well as a handful high school students.
Zane began his presentation discussing the common challenges that accompany electric transportation, which he labeled “range anxiety.” These issues included challenges with the size and weight of electric vehicles, battery charging time and most importantly, cost.
“We’re rethinking the problem,” Zane said. In the process of rethinking, the researchers have shifted their focus entirely from the vehicle to the roadway. Electrified Smart Roadways, Zane explained, are the future of sustainable transportation. And the core research is being done right here on USU’s campus.
The concept is simple: instead of charging the car’s battery and expending that energy as it drives, the roadway transfers energy to the vehicle as it goes. The car itself stores no energy, but instead uses the electricity that runs through the roadway beneath. The Electric Vehicle and Roadway research facility, located near the Power Electronics Lab on USU’s Innovation Campus, contains a quarter-mile electrified test track students and faculty are using to further develop this technology.
As the founder for the Center for Sustainable Electrified Transportation (SELECT), Zane makes a point to include as many students in his research as possible. “Students want to see the work they are doing affecting the industry,” he said.
“I don’t think I realized how much of a hand the students have in the research,” said Jaimie Blazer, a USU student and employee in the office of Research and Graduate Studies.
This aspect of student involvement in research was also appealing to the high school students in attendance at the event. Maddie Holland, a senior at Woods Cross High School, is planning on attending USU this coming fall. “One of the reasons I want to come up there is because of their research programs,” Holland said. “I love that part of Utah State.”
Larry Jensen, a Bountiful High School senior interested in engineering, couldn’t agree more. “It’s fun thinking that I can be part of this when I get up there,” he said.
Braden Limb, a graduate research assistant, is already part of this. His research is focused primarily on the economic and environmental feasibility of electrifying roadways. “The results we have found have been very promising,” Limb said.
According to Zane, this technology has the potential to create significant positive change, both environmentally and economically. A national electrified road system would mean $100 billion in government savings annually, and could cut out 10 percent of the United States’ carbon footprint. And it’s all starting here in Logan.
“Utah is a name known in the field,” he said. “We can make a big difference here.”
— whitneyeversole19@gmail.com