The reality of safety concerns relative to WPT systems for automotive applications

It is the presumption of many that wireless power transmission (WPT) systems are inherently unsafe because they produce time-varying magnetic fields. While it is true that there are limits to human exposure, the safety issues are actually well understood and pose more of a public (or consumer) perception challenge than a real health risk when operated in the context of modern WPT vehicle systems. This paper will review the known risks according to bioelectrical science and propose rational limits that are defined by science rather than misconception. The important differences between the IEEE C95.1 standard and the ICNIRP guidelines of 1998 and 2010 will be explained. Just as importantly, real world examples of a plethora of commercial and industrial inductive energy devices will be presented and compared to WPT systems as they are currently being operated.