Utah State debuts wireless electric bus

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A Utah State University spinoff company is rolling out an electric transit bus that's capable of being recharged wirelessly.

WAVE Technologies plans to showcase the first-of-its-kind technology in North Logan for the media Thursday.

The vehicle's wireless power transfer device was perfected at Utah State's Energy Dynamics Laboratory, which stands to share in any profits of the company.

Wireless power transfer has been used for years in some consumer devices and in factory power strips. Now it's ready for vehicles.

The Utah State bus gets a wireless boost from charging pads embedded in concrete.

Engineers say electricity jumps the 10-inch air gap with little loss in energy.

The system eliminates the need for plug-in charging and allows vehicles to use a smaller battery pack, which yields big weight savings.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)