How much energy is wasted? last time I read about this they were hoping for 80% of the energy to make the jump and that was while the car was parked, so I can only imagine that the losses while driving are going to be even greater, all so we don't have to plug a cord in.

The comments I had around these former articles on this site still apply:

http://www.plugincars.com/ev-veteran-calls-faster-shift-plug-cars-106614...

Extract:

There is still one thing that can be done to accelerate the practicality of EV driving. As we all know the important thing in a plug-in vehicle is the possibility to plug it in a wall socket for the recharge. But once, that can be done, paradoxically, the next step is to let it happen automatically. This means your car drives on a charging pod and a security and communication protocol directly start without that you even have to think about it. The pod controls the contacts connection quality with the contacts underneath the car and the car ask the pod what voltage and amperage is available, the pod answers 240 V 15 A and it starts charging the car if it has clearance. You then come back and drive away in the morning with a full battery. No plug to manipulate, just contacts under your car that touch the pod's contacts. One could call that "park and forget". It is particularly interesting for people that tend, well, to forget, or perhaps it can also be used to get an extra charge outside when you are waiting at a traffic light or parked at a shop. The pod outside would of course ask your car ID number and a code before you can charge in order to be paid for the electricity it provides. Pods would fit very well with V2G possibilities as well.

http://www.plugincars.com/two-new-nissan-leaf-owners-eek-out-111-miles-w...

Extract:

That's exactly a dream situation for public charging pods on the ground (Park & Forget system or P&F that I explained in a former message). The car would parks over it and the pod contacts would connect with the ones under the car. A security and ID protocol would start automatically and your car would start to charge. Your account is debited the price of the taken electricity. Typically, you never have to think about putting the plug in the wall socket. You just park above a pod, close your car, walk to your apartment and in the morning you take your car fully loaded. You then drive in to your parents apartment, you park there above another pod, the same protocol takes place and when you go back to your own apartment your car has been recharged again. In this was you don't need a garage or a dedicated charging place, but you can drive your leaf everywhere. In the end, you would even start to forget it is an electric car and is self charging automatically each time you park above a pod. You know those little laying half cylinders with two metallic contacts, a foot apart from each other, on which your dog pisses sometimes. Of course your dog never had a bad experience because it never send the electronic code the pod is waiting for to start the charging process and, in more, the pod would not be satisfied with the contact closing security situation report and would refuses powering up anyway. The same with rain or a kid playing, a secure system that allow apartment dwellers to drive EV and facilitate the life of garage equipped house owners as well when they drive downtown.

http://www.plugincars.com/addressing-initial-oversight-ev-project-chargi...

Extract:

automatic charging systems can be made as a park and forget system based on simple contacts on a half cylinder with contacts on it and contacts under the car. A safety protocol can then check the presence of the car. Conduction is usually preferred to induction because of cost and efficiency concerns,

Some other discussions are from 2003 on the gridable hybrids group:

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/gridable-hybrids/message/19