Studies commissioned by Highways England have indicated the feasibility of the technology.
Advertisement
Brits are getting into electric cars more and more.
Trails are expected to begin later this year after the ongoing procurement process is completed.
“Vehicle technologies are advancing at an ever increasing pace and we’re committed to supporting the growth of ultra-low emissions vehicles on our England’s motorways and major A roads”, Highway England chief engineer Mike Wilson said in a statement. These new roads are now in the test phase, and the Britishers have already invested almost £200,000 in dynamic charging ways.
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 boosting of electronic cars on the road would make a lot of financial sense for the UK government, considering that the European Union charge fines to countries that do not meet the emission criterias. Highways England is also committed to installing plug-in charging points every 20 miles on the motorway as part of a Road Investment Strategy supported by the government.
Unless you plan your trip around finding charging stations on the way to your destination or somehow figure out how to hack the physical properties of electricity, this puts a major cap on taking a long-distance trip with a glorified Energizer battery strapped to your auto as an engine.
Unfortunately, the project is shrouded in mystery at the moment – full details of the trial will only be publicised once a successful contractor for the project has been appointed. The scheme will be dubbed “Electric Highways”.
South Korea already offers a form of this technology called Shaped Magnetic Field in Resonance (SMFIR) that charges public buses as they drive over specialized strips of road. The goal is to help drivers with electric and hybrid cars avoid frequent stops to recharge their vehicles. Cost will be the biggest issue and I’m not totally convinced it’s worth it.
Advertisement
The technology would see vehicles equipped with wireless transmitters.
