What's New?

Fascinating Technology: Will There Be Highways Able to Charge an EV While Driving?

The state of Indiana, in partnership with Purdue University and Cummins Inc., has already begun a pilot project on a quarter-mile tract of U.S. Highway 52, to test whether the roadway “will be capable of providing power to vehicles even as they cruise by at speeds of up to 65 miles per hour.” WOW! How will they make this happen? The Indiana Department of Transportation “will install a series of copper coils under the highway’s surface to test a new technology Purdue University researchers developed that can provide power to electric vehicles wirelessly as they drive past.” One of the goals of this pilot project is to incentivize more people to purchase an EV. As you may already know, a downside of EVs, especially on longer trips, is “range anxiety,” which is the fear of running out of battery power before reaching the destination, and not being anywhere near a recharging station. Of course, the cost of the car and the cost of replacing the car battery are also concerns for people. But roads that can charge the car while it is driving can help alleviate range anxiety as well as the fear of a lack of charging stations.

Another benefit would be for heavy duty EV trucks that need much bigger batteries because of their size, weight, and long-distance travel. If, however, the trucks could receive power while driving, trucks could use smaller batteries and reduce the number of recharging stops which also might lower the costs of hauling a payload. Practically speaking, we have an awful lot of highways in the U.S.A. In 2020, the highway network in the United States had a total length of around 4.17 million statute miles. One statute mile is approximately equal to 5,280 feet. The United States has one of the most extensive road networks worldwide.” If this technology is successful, it will take a lot of time and money to make a significant impact on travel. But this certainly is exciting technology, and Indiana is not alone in its endeavor. Last fall, the city of Detroit installed similar technology on a residential road. Here is a diagram to help you better visualize the pilot project:

Sources:

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/15042024/indiana-highway-ev-charging/

https://newsroom.aaa.com/2023/11/annual-electric-vehicle-sentiment-survey/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/183397/united-states-highway-mileage-since-1990/

https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/city-of-detroit-installs-nations-first-wireless-charging-road-for-evs/