Michigan is testing a new technology that lets electric vehicles charge while driving.
New technology is being tested in Michigan as it launches a wireless electric vehicle charging road. The strip of road is powered by an energy system underground. It will boost an electric vehicle’s batteries while they pass through it.
According to the Independent, the initial project is only tested within a one-mile range.
“You’re not going to fully charge a vehicle — especially, this is, you know, a minimum of a mile pilot project,” Michele Mueller of the Michigan Department of Transportation said.
“But what it will do is extend the range for the vehicle so that somebody may not have to stop.”
The system is based on a network of charging coils buried beneath the pavement connected to the power grid. A particular receiver is required for it to work, so you can’t just drive your car over it and get a charge without it.
Accordingly, the charging system activates after the receiver passes through the coils. The receiver captures the energy and transmits it to the battery, Stefan Tongur of Electreon explained.
In addition, the receiver can charge the car owner for the electricity, he says.
Electreon is the company in charge of making the innovative road in Michigan. They are an Israeli-based provider of wireless charging solutions for electric vehicles (EV).
Accordingly, the system will not emit electricity without the receiver. So, people and other living creatures that cross the road have no chance of getting electrocuted.
However, for this to adopt widely, there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed first. There is also a lot of technology that needs to become standard first. For example, electric vehicles should first be compatible with the receiver.
Furthermore, it will be a game-changer for the adoption of electric vehicles if this technology is realized and broadly adopted.
