Indiana DOT Planning to Test Pavement that Can Wirelessly Charge Electric Cars

[kernals12]

The test will utilize material from a German company called Magment. It's concrete mixed with magnetic ferrite particles that can put out an inductive field capable of charging electric vehicles as they roll down the road. If their test is successful, they'll be doing a pilot project on a stretch of Interstate Highway.

I think we'll have developed a better battery long before every stretch of highway has been repaved with this magnetic concrete, but it does mean tomorrow's electric car owners won't ever have to visit a charging station on their road trips. They'll only be limited by the capacity of their bladder.

[jeffandnicole]

I don't think every strip of highway needs to be paved with this pavement (if it actually works); but paving enough highway in areas that see significant amounts of traffic, or in certain distances where a 'refueling' would be beneficial, would be enough.

Likewise, a local road near a town's commercial area (be it a State, County or Municipal roadway) where many locals often travel would also be beneficial.  Or even a commercial store's parking lot.  If someone had the choice to go to Walmart or Target, or Home Depot or Lowes, and one of the competing stores had a pavement that would charge your car while you shopped, that could be a huge incentive for a shopper with an electric car to go to one store over another.

[kernals12]

I don't think every strip of highway needs to be paved with this pavement (if it actually works); but paving enough highway in areas that see significant amounts of traffic, or in certain distances where a 'refueling' would be beneficial, would be enough.

Likewise, a local road near a town's commercial area (be it a State, County or Municipal roadway) where many locals often travel would also be beneficial.  Or even a commercial store's parking lot.  If someone had the choice to go to Walmart or Target, or Home Depot or Lowes, and one of the competing stores had a pavement that would charge your car while you shopped, that could be a huge incentive for a shopper with an electric car to go to one store over another.

Imagine how much the uptake of electric cars would increase in Southern California if they paved the 405 with this.

[skluth]

I don't think every strip of highway needs to be paved with this pavement (if it actually works); but paving enough highway in areas that see significant amounts of traffic, or in certain distances where a 'refueling' would be beneficial, would be enough.

Likewise, a local road near a town's commercial area (be it a State, County or Municipal roadway) where many locals often travel would also be beneficial.  Or even a commercial store's parking lot.  If someone had the choice to go to Walmart or Target, or Home Depot or Lowes, and one of the competing stores had a pavement that would charge your car while you shopped, that could be a huge incentive for a shopper with an electric car to go to one store over another.

Imagine how much the uptake of electric cars would increase in Southern California if they paved the 405 with this.

It will be interesting to see if recharging will happen on roads and/or in parking lots. I do feel one or the other is inevitable; possibly both depending on the locality. I don't know if there is a great advantage to recharging in urban/suburban parking lots as electric car range increases, though I can see destination businesses like Ikea and Cabela doing this (charged with large rooftop solar panel arrays). I don't know if free highways will have this type of pavement or if we will see new toll roads with charge capability as fewer vehicles are paying gas taxes. I don't foresee governments supplying free charging on highways; maybe a new variety of HOT lanes.

[sparker]

I don't think every strip of highway needs to be paved with this pavement (if it actually works); but paving enough highway in areas that see significant amounts of traffic, or in certain distances where a 'refueling' would be beneficial, would be enough.

Likewise, a local road near a town's commercial area (be it a State, County or Municipal roadway) where many locals often travel would also be beneficial.  Or even a commercial store's parking lot.  If someone had the choice to go to Walmart or Target, or Home Depot or Lowes, and one of the competing stores had a pavement that would charge your car while you shopped, that could be a huge incentive for a shopper with an electric car to go to one store over another.

Imagine how much the uptake of electric cars would increase in Southern California if they paved the 405 with this.

It will be interesting to see if recharging will happen on roads and/or in parking lots. I do feel one or the other is inevitable; possibly both depending on the locality. I don't know if there is a great advantage to recharging in urban/suburban parking lots as electric car range increases, though I can see destination businesses like Ikea and Cabela doing this (charged with large rooftop solar panel arrays). I don't know if free highways will have this type of pavement or if we will see new toll roads with charge capability as fewer vehicles are paying gas taxes. I don't foresee governments supplying free charging on highways; maybe a new variety of HOT lanes.

If the various "infrastructure" proposals wending their way through the process include funding for new intercity corridors (think the P2P and/or the remainder of I-49 and 69), the authorization legislation may specify regular deployment of charging facilities along them, either at exits or rest/service areas.  In all likelihood they won't be completely free by any means (any subsidies will have to be negotiated), with the owners of E-vehicles paying via credit card or -- if the facility is tolled -- their FastPass or other toll payment method.  If located within a private refueling/retail establishment, some percentage, of course, would rebate to that facility, but a substantial portion of any receipts would be directed toward system maintenance.  Something like the self/auto-charge pavement method described here would have to be accompanied by a method to charge the customer -- perhaps some pro-rated surcharge to the vehicle registration that would avoid the need to actually track the vehicle's whereabouts (always a privacy concern related to this sort of fee).   

[kernals12]

I don't think every strip of highway needs to be paved with this pavement (if it actually works); but paving enough highway in areas that see significant amounts of traffic, or in certain distances where a 'refueling' would be beneficial, would be enough.

Likewise, a local road near a town's commercial area (be it a State, County or Municipal roadway) where many locals often travel would also be beneficial.  Or even a commercial store's parking lot.  If someone had the choice to go to Walmart or Target, or Home Depot or Lowes, and one of the competing stores had a pavement that would charge your car while you shopped, that could be a huge incentive for a shopper with an electric car to go to one store over another.

Imagine how much the uptake of electric cars would increase in Southern California if they paved the 405 with this.

It will be interesting to see if recharging will happen on roads and/or in parking lots. I do feel one or the other is inevitable; possibly both depending on the locality. I don't know if there is a great advantage to recharging in urban/suburban parking lots as electric car range increases, though I can see destination businesses like Ikea and Cabela doing this (charged with large rooftop solar panel arrays). I don't know if free highways will have this type of pavement or if we will see new toll roads with charge capability as fewer vehicles are paying gas taxes. I don't foresee governments supplying free charging on highways; maybe a new variety of HOT lanes.

There must be away to bill for the electricity as you drive along it.

[sprjus4]

If the various "infrastructure" proposals wending their way through the process include funding for new intercity corridors (think the P2P and/or the remainder of I-49 and 69)

That's a funny joke! 

[sparker]

 

If the various "infrastructure" proposals wending their way through the process include funding for new intercity corridors (think the P2P and/or the remainder of I-49 and 69)

That's a funny joke! 

Yeah, I know it's more of a long shot today that a decade or so ago -- but, hey, not everyone in this administration is a rabid urbanist with a white-hot hatred of anything remotely automotive -- and including some make-work projects in the Midwest states might just be a useful bargaining chip for other "infrastructure" items, particularly in the so-called "red states".  They need nice new roads on which to cruise their F150's, even if those will likely be electric in 25 years!  Maybe suggesting a P2P version of the Cannonball Run (Denver or bust!) might get the guys' juices boiling!   

[rower155]

Cool.  We are now going to build hot lanes for the HOT lanes.

[SSR_317]

Any possibility of the electrical field generated by such pavement having unintended consequences? I'm thinking of drivers/passengers with medical implants that might be sensitive to such fields. And what about items within the vehicles? Will such a road recharge your laptop or smartphone as you drive? 

[kalvado]

Any possibility of the electrical field generated by such pavement having unintended consequences? I'm thinking of drivers/passengers with medical implants that might be sensitive to such fields. And what about items within the vehicles? Will such a road recharge your laptop or smartphone as you drive? 

No. This is actually a component of a wireless charging in a parking spot, where resonant circuit would not be activated without a properly shielded vehicle counterpart. Enlarged version of a wireless phone charger.
Dream: this is a revolutionary highway application!
Reality:

(image credit : Magment GmbH)

[SSR_317]

Any possibility of the electrical field generated by such pavement having unintended consequences? I'm thinking of drivers/passengers with medical implants that might be sensitive to such fields. And what about items within the vehicles? Will such a road recharge your laptop or smartphone as you drive? 

No. This is actually a component of a wireless charging in a parking spot, where resonant circuit would not be activated without a properly shielded vehicle counterpart. Enlarged version of a wireless phone charger.
Dream: this is a revolutionary highway application!
Reality:

(image credit : Magment GmbH)

Thanks!