Electric Road Systems

AFP English

Recharging an electric car while driving isn’t just a pipe dream. Manufacturers are testing dynamic recharging technologies for long drives, using smaller batteries with fewer rare metals. VIDEOGRAPHIC

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00:00Recharging an electric car while driving isn't just a pipe dream.

00:10Manufacturers are testing dynamic recharging technologies for long drives

00:14using smaller batteries with fewer rare metals. There are three possible solutions.

00:18The first is inductive car charging, which allows contactless wireless

00:22charging. Coils powered by electrical cables are buried in the ground, which

00:26then functions as an induction plate. As the vehicle passes, the coil is

00:30energized and emits an electromagnetic field. Another coil fixed beneath the

00:35vehicle receives this magnetic field and converts it into energy. Currently, this

00:39energy system is not very powerful and it is costly. The risks of exposing users

00:44to magnetic fields are also poorly understood. The second is ground-based

00:48conductive charging. This uses rail segments inserted in road surfaces,

00:53including some hollow segments. The rail receives its power by vehicles fit with

00:58friction pads or lugs in the case of hollow rails. If there is an accident, the

01:03pads retract automatically. This conductive rail system requires major

01:07road work and the rail can get clogged, posing problems for two-wheeled

01:12vehicles. The third is overhead conduction. This solution is inspired by

01:16trains and uses catenaries, which are electrical lines suspended from pylons. A

01:22device known as a pantograph on the roof of the vehicle engages when it

01:26detects a catenary and supplies the vehicle with energy. This powerful

01:30solution is designed for trucks due to the necessary height of the overhead

01:34lines, which are fragile and sensitive to heat.

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