Britain aims to tackle electric car range anxiety with wireless charging tech
While electric cars are heralded as an environmental-friendly vehicle option for consumers, they come with one major problem. Most have very limited ranges that force drivers to stop every so often to recharge their vehicles.
But the British government is working on a possible solution.
Last week, Highways England, the government department that monitors major highways and roads, announced plans to test a new technology system later this year that would allow low emission vehicles to recharge wirelessly.
Highways England’s “off road’’ trial will install wireless technology under the road to allow electric cars to recharge as they drive over the surface.
The new technology could alleviate one of the biggest concerns for consumers with electric vehicles: Waiting 30 minutes or longer to recharge a vehicle.
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“The potential to recharge low emission vehicles on the move offers exciting possibilities,’’ said Highway England Transport Minister Andrew Jones in a statement. “We continue to explore options on how to improve journeys and make low-emission vehicles accessible to families and businesses.’’
Jones said the UK is committing £500 million (or roughly $780 million) over the next five years to study this technology. The trials, which are expected to begin later this year, are expected to last 18 months.
The trial follows an earlier Highways England feasibility study that looks at how wireless charging technology might be installed in Britain’s major roadways. It will also look at how motorists can pay for the electricity they receive to charge their vehicle.
Highways England calls the trials “the first of their kind.’’ But Fortune points out the idea for the technology dates back to the late 1800s when Nikola Tesla designed a similar system to charge streetcars remotely. Fortune also points out the technology has been employed in South Korea since 2013.
Highways England is also investing in expanding the UK’s electric vehicle infrastructure by installing plug-in charging stations every 20 miles across Britain’s network of roads.
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