Can Roads Charge Electric Cars? Technology May Be Closer.

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Other challenges could slow down the electrified path of the future. “To put this into context, road charging while driving is unlikely to be a broad solution for all electric vehicles, but could play an important role for some applications,” said Jeremy J. Michalek, professor and director of engineering and public policy. The vehicle electrification group at Carnegie Mellon University

“For passenger cars, most drivers will leave home with a full tank of electricity most days, and the EV range is expanding enough that most drivers don’t need public charging except on the rare long-distance travel days,” he said.

But there is a bigger problem that such ways can solve. “Road charging for long-haul trucking aims to solve a real problem with electric trucks,” said Michalek. Electric trailer trucks require large battery packs. reduce the burden; While such long-distance travel requires a large investment in infrastructure, on-road charging can help.

On-road charging will also “have to withstand all the weight and weather conditions that are tearing up our roads today. There may be specific applications where road charging infrastructure can target specific locations, such as bus stops or fleets with fixed routes and known stops,” he said.

The Purdue team is aware of these challenges but is optimistic. “The technical hurdles we have to overcome are not insurmountable,” Aliprantis said. “These can be overcome with the right design.”

But there are regulatory hurdles, he said. “For example, if you’re not a utility company in Indiana, you can’t resell electricity. Therefore, if you are a road operator, you cannot charge vehicles for the electricity they consume. Also, there are currently barriers to using the interstate right of way to build this infrastructure. At least in this country, there are some regulations that need to change before that becomes reality.”

In addition, electricity grids will need to increase their capacity to ensure that they can meet the demand created. “Especially if we want to implement this technology on a large scale, because we’re not charging cell phones, we’re charging large vehicles moving at highway speeds that require significant amounts of power,” he said.

It is the beginning of the journey for the Purdue project.

“We see this technology as a great opportunity to align with the US Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration’s vision of alternative fuel corridors along major national highways that support pluggable EV charging, hydrogen, propane and natural gas refueling. with existing or planned infrastructure,” said Ms. Gkritza. “We do not recommend that all roads be 100 percent electrified.”

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