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Electric cars: UK trial for roads that recharge cars on the go
Highways agency to try out new wireless technology by 2017 – but will it be worth the cost?
Highways England has announced that it will test out new technology letting electric cars recharge their batteries as they drive along the road. Wireless power-transfer would be built under the nation's motorways and A-roads.
The agency says it hopes to test the technology 'off-road' – meaning not on a public highway – by "2016 or 2017", says the BBC. But one UK electric car expert has questioned whether the concept is even worth considering.
The technology definitely works, however – a similar system for buses is already up and running in South Korea, albeit only on a 7.5-mile section of street in one town, Gumi.
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In Milton Keynes, a trial has seen buses park for a few minutes in particular spots to recharge wirelessly – but the new technology is less restrictive as it allows vehicles to charge in motion.
The technique is called Shaped Magnetic Field in Resonance (SMFIR). Electric cables buried under the road generate magnetic fields which interact with a coil fitted in the underside of passing vehicles, generating electricity.
Stuart Thompson, of Highways England, said: "What has been committed to is that by 2016 or 2017 we will hold off-road trials – in other words not on a public road. It's still very early days. Where exactly the trials will be has yet to be determined."
Transport minister Andrew Jones said the plan was "exciting" and could "improve journeys and make low-emission vehicles accessible to families and businesses".
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But Dr Paul Nieuwenhuis, director of Cardiff Business School's Electric Vehicle Centre of Excellence, told the BBC he was sceptical. He pointed out that the technique would be very costly – and said electric car batteries are getting better and better.
He said: "The technology does obviously work [but] I'm not totally convinced it's worth it. Battery technology is increasing – if you look at what Tesla has achieved in recent years, it keeps adding more [travel] range to battery technology roughly every six months. So, it's not clear there's even a need for this."
