Stopping to charge your electric vehicle may soon be a thing of the past. England is in development to create roads that will charge your electric car, while you drive on the highway.
Although electric cars have become more popular and convenient, one issue still remains, they have to be charged at charging stations. And as anyone with an EV knows, there are much fewer EV charging stations around the world than there are gas stations. Not to mention, what’s to happen when you run out of charge and there are no charging stations in close range?
This is where Highway Britain’s “dynamic charging” comes in. This wireless technology would work by having specially designated charging lanes with coils buried underneath them. These coils can receive electricity and transmit it to electric vehicles – which will need to be equipped with charging receivers prior to getting on the highway and being able to use this feature. Testing of this new technology will initially be performed on mock roads and is expected to last about 18 months. If everything is to go well, Highway Britain has plans to start implementing and testing this technology on their real highways.
Yet, technology very similar to this already exists in South Korea, where they have a 7.5-mile long charging route created for electric buss, so it may not be so far fetched.
Image: Wired.com
Britian’s Transport Minister, Andrew Jones, said in a statement,“The government is already committing £500 million over the next five years to keep Britain at the forefront of this technology, which will help boost jobs and growth in the sector. As this study shows, we continue to explore options on how to improve journeys and make low-emission vehicles accessible to families and businesses.”
It’s clear to see that the U.K. is a big supporter of lower emission vehicles. In 2015 alone, they have seen a rise of 366% in the amount of registered electric vehicles. While some of these electric cars may be on the expensive side (we’re taking to you Tesla,) in the long run they do end up saving you money and are much better for the environment. So for the drivers who are on the fence on whether to become owners of an EV, this new technology, if it becomes actualized, may be the push they needed.
What do you think, is this the incentive people need to become owners of electric vehicles?
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Article Written by Mila Medonaite for Design Engine, August 31, 2015