Electrically charged roads are slowly popping up around the U.S. In Detroit, a 1-mile stretch of road charges electric cars as they drive along it. In Florida, a first-of-its-kind project is underway, building electric charging coils into a new road as it is being built. Purdue University is also testing a quarter-mile stretch of Indiana highway. Construction began in March to see if a heavy-duty truck could successfully charge while moving at highway speeds. Europe is also considering the idea: Sweden is already home to the first electric charging road and is expressing interest in expanding the project. France and Germany are also considering bids to expand electric charging roads to large areas of freeway.
The project in Florida is a key one to keep an eye on. Set to be completed in 2027, it is creating a brand-new road to better connect the growing population in Lake County with Orlando’s expressway belt. “This is the first brand-new highway having the system from the beginning,” said Sergio Perez of Enex, a company out of Norway that has been hired for the project. “It is a world premiere.” The project will also feature solar panels and a wildlife underpass. The road will only be 5 miles long, and the EV charging portion of the project will cost $14 million.
The technology involves placing electromagnetic coils underneath the road’s surface and installing a receiver on the vehicle’s battery. The vehicle then charges as it drives along the road, similar to a wireless phone charger. The Florida charging road, as an example, will be able to charge the vehicle for the length it is on the road, as well as 2 miles beyond it.
Skeptics are hesitant to consider EV charging roads financially worth it. With the costs at almost $2 million per mile, building the technology into longer stretches of road or parking lots seems financially impossible. “Wireless charging looks good on paper,” said Ashley Nunes, researcher in behavioral economics at Harvard Law School, “But the logistics and the cost involved make it quite impractical.” Proponents expect costs to fall as the technology matures, however.
With the transportation industry being one of the largest sources of greenhouse gasses, governments are increasingly considering new ways and incentives to make electric and public transportation more attractive to consumers. Americans in particular seem hesitant to move towards electric cars. Although 23% express interest in owning an electric car, the same number aren’t following through and buying them. Many car makers are slowing plans to expand their electric car fleets. Consumers seem hesitant to go electric due to purchase costs and concerns about charging availability.
Charging roads would put many of those concerns at ease. If Americans were able to charge their electric vehicles while driving, concerns about charging stations would fade away. At the moment, there are only a handful of examples of charging roads around the world, with the possibility of more small portions of road in the years to come. Costs to create the roads will certainly have to decrease in the coming years for there to be any chance of expanding the market. The few charging roads around the world are only small examples of the possibilities down the road—perhaps quite literally.