The University of Auckland Faculty of Engineering has been developing world-leading technology for charging electric vehicles from pads buried in the road. It works by transmiting energy to receptors under vehicles without needing any cable plugged in.
Geoff Kirby, Senior Technician, tells us how Heliner developed a CNC router to facilitate cutting precise “pockets” in the road to accommodate the charging pads.
Nothing available off-the-shelf
“We Googled CNC routers to see what was available in New Zealand, but we couldn’t find what we wanted off-the-shelf anywhere.
We came across Heliner’s website and were impressed with the clear and concise display of the machines they had to offer. But we needed practical advice to find a solution to meet our unique needs.”
Special adaptation
“Our faculty had been trying to figure out how to cut rectangular pockets in the road to house the charging pads using conventional means such as saws and core drills.
James visited the University and after some discussions he went away to formulate a plan going forward. He went back to his suppliers in China to develop a special adaptation of a 900x600mm bench-top model with a more rigid frame and heavier duty drives to machine the asphalt at a laboratory scale of accuracy.
This prototype worked very satisfactorily, taking our ideas to another level.”
Service above and beyond our expectations
“James has been very good to us with all the time, effort, and background research. He has listened and brought a lot of valuable expert knowledge to the table.
Whereas other companies only seemed interested in selling standard routers without much customisation or support, he’s gone the extra mile for us.”
At the international leading edge
“Our technology is at the cutting edge in regards to transport infrastructure and has huge potential for mass deployment on roads around the world.
We’re very happy and confident in what James has developed for us, and he deserves international recognition and reward for his innovation.”
