The United Kingdom is currently testing technology that would allow high-tech highways to recharge electric cars as users are driving.
“The U.K. has already tested a bunch of different approaches to this technology and identified versions that work and are ready to manufacture. In basic terms, the system has power lines connected to coils under the surface of a road, which then transmit the electricity through the air to a receiver coil in a car. Simply driving down the stretch of road in a properly-equipped electric or hybrid-electric vehicle will power up the batteries,” according to the Huffington Post.
“Off-road trials of ‘dynamic wireless power transfer’ technology are expected to start later this year and run for 18 months,” Andrew Jones of Highways England, said.
The UK government will install the devices in vehicles and under test roads; testing will help the government determine if charging could work on the busiest roads in Britain. “Mobile charging would solve one of the biggest hurdles to electric vehicle use—staying charged on long drives.”
“The power transfer could potentially work for all types of vehicles, the report notes, and since it goes under the road, it won’t require building any contraptions above ground that could increase risks of collision or electric shock. The wireless transfer is less cluttered and invasive than the overhead cables used for city trains, trolleys, and a prototype zero-emission highway in L.A,” according to the Huffington Post.
If the technology works for the highways in Britain, it could improve long distance travel for electric vehicles world-wide. Typically, electric vehicles can last about 80 miles on one full charge – which allots for daily commutes but does not allow drivers to venture on road trips or longer drives. The high-tech highways would allow drivers to travel longer distances and would eliminate the need to stop on the side of the highway to re-charge electric vehicles.
