The British government is testing out new road technology that would allow electric cars to charge as they drive. The goal is to help drivers with electric and hybrid cars avoid frequent stops to recharge their vehicles.
Most electric cars get charged via plug-in chargers at home or while parked on the streets. Wireless power charging “pods” are also available, but they too require the car to stop to get more juice.
A new technology called Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer (DWPT) would allow drivers to wirelessly charge their electric vehicles while the on the move. The new charging roads proposed by the U.K. government will work kind of like wireless phone chargers, using magnetic induction technology.
Cables buried underneath the highway would generate electromagnetic fields that could be picked up by a receiver in the car and transformed into electric power. The system would include a communication system, so that the roads can detect that a car is coming and start the process.