USU Professor and ASPIRE director Regan Zane is a pioneer in power electronics and electrified roadway technology. Photo courtesy of Utah State University
LOGAN – Friday, April 1st on the Utah State University campus those attending Science Unwrapped’s “Science on the Horizon” series will get a lesson in electrified transportation.
USU is the site of a National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Research Center, known as Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification, or ASPIRE.
ASPIRE Director Regan Zane said he will share the center’s plans.
“On Friday, we’re going to talk about a little bit of the history, what’s brought about this fascination of electrification, what that means for cities,” Zane said. “Frankly, it started in the late-1800s. And we’re going to talk about the next major transformation that we see, as electric vehicles — both small passenger vehicles all the way to our semi-trucks — it’s really going to transform the landscape of both our roads, our vehicles and our electric utilities, over the next 20 years and beyond.”
How far away is roadway electrification in this country?
“We have a roadmap that charts this out. In 10 years we think it’s quite possible to see significant transition to electrification in our cities and on the corridors around the cities,” he explained. “This would include an advancement of electric roadways in most scenarios, as well as stationary charging opportunities that could be both wireless and plug-in.”
Dr. Zane’s presentation, “Electric Avenues,” begins at 7 p.m. Friday in the Emert Auditorium of the Eccles Science Learning Center. Admission is free and all ages are welcome. The talk will also be live-streamed via AggieCast from the Science Wrapped website.
Science Unwrapped is a public outreach program of USU’s College of Science.