While electric cars are gaining traction, there’s still the issue of having to charge them before leaving the house. The U.K. is testing out an answer to that problem: roads that charge your car while you drive.
Players of the early 90s’ Super Nintendo game F-Zero will be familiar with this concept – as the game had energy ports on the road to give your car a boost. This might not be as thrill inducing as a video game, but for electric car drivers, it should come as welcoming news.
Highways England announced that an 18-month trial would test the charging roads that will be fitted with wireless technology and electric cables under the surface to produce electromagnetic fields that will charge the cars. The test roads will not be open to the public however. So yes, you still have to charge your Tesla at home.
Transport Minister Andrew Jones said this is only the beginning of the U.K. government’s five-year plan to advance the electric car technology.
“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. As this study shows, we continue to explore options on how to improve journeys and make low-emission vehicles accessible to families and businesses.”
The trial is expected to start later this year, though it’s not the first of its kind. The South Korean city of Gumi already has a 7.5 mile stretch of road that is used to charge its electric buses, and Japan was developing similar technology a few years back that would be able to charge an electric car through several feet of concrete.
While our electric cars might not look anything close to the speedsters of F-Zero, the fact that so many countries are working on advancing EV technology is extremely exciting.
