Road-trippin’ may get a lot easier.
via Highways England
Currently, the average electric car can go about 80 miles without needing to be recharged. This makes them great for short-distance driving, but they come up short on long road trips. Now, the UK is testing new technology that could pave the way for driving lanes that will charge your electric car as you drive. Highways England announced last week it’s embarking on an 18-month trial to see if the technology would work safely and effectively on the country’s motorways.
The charging lanes work by creating electromagnetic fields generated by electric cables buried beneath the road. A coil inside the bottom of a car picks up the field and converts it into electricity. According to the UK Transport Minister, “The potential to recharge low emission vehicles on the move offers exciting possibilities. 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.”
If this test works it may fundamentally change how people in the UK, and possibly the world, get around. But the project has it naysayers. Dr Paul Nieuwenhuis, from the the director Cardiff Business School’s Electric Vehicle Centre of Excellence, said “It sounds very ambitious to me. Cost will be the biggest issue and I’m not totally convinced it’s worth it.” Others believe that the charging lanes will be unnecessary once battery life is improved in electric vehicles.
via Highways England
(H/T Mashable)
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