UK Testing Roads That Recharge Electric Cars As They're Driven

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The UK government is planning on testing a special road surface that actually charges your car as you drive. In mid-August, the UK government announced that it wants to begin testing this technology, and soon. Andrew Jones, Highways England and Transport Minister said that off-road trials of dynamic wireless power transfer technology are expected to start later this year and run for 18 months before the on-road testing begins.

The government is looking for bids from contractors wanting to develop the test infrastructure. In a press release, Jones said, "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."

Electric car charging points won’t be dismissed completely. Highways England has said it’s committed to installing plug-in facilities every 48 km along the motorway network.

The government will install the devices on the test road and a select number of vehicles and determine if the charging can work on Britain’s busiest roadways. The test road built will also show how smaller sub-stations, AC/AC converters, and power transfer loops can provide inductive charging built into the road itself.

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 a road in a properly-equipped electric or hybrid-electric vehicle will power up the batteries.

The report notes that the power transfer could most likely work for all types of vehicles. Further, it would not require building any contraptions above ground that could increase risks of collision or electric shock, since it goes under the road. Also, the wireless transfer is less cluttered and invasive. 

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