The “Charge as you Drive” project, an international collaboration between VINCI Autoroutes, Electreon, Gustave Eiffel University and Hutchinson, has planned the world’s first test of dynamic wireless charging in real-world conditions. This system is being evaluated on a 1.5 km stretch of the A10 freeway near Paris, making it the first stretch of road charged on the move for electric vehicles.
The dynamic wireless charging system
After rigorous testing in laboratories and closed tracks, the wireless dynamic charging system faces its most important test to date, operating in real traffic conditions. The prototype vehicles, which include a truck, a van, a car and a bus, are equipped with pickup coils required to receive power as they drive, without the need to stop to recharge.
Initial results are favorable: the technology has demonstrated capabilities of transmitting more than 300 kW of instantaneous power and more than 200 kW of average power during continuous operating conditions, supplying enough energy to keep vehicles moving steadily, without interruption.
The technology has the potential to completely convert electric mobility and transportation infrastructure worldwide. One of the biggest benefits is that by eliminating the need for stationary charging stations, electric electric vehicles can be charged while on the road, eliminating the charging stops and range limitations currently faced by users.
Moreover, wireless dynamic charging technology could also decrease the weight of batteries in electric vehicles, which, in turn, would decrease the cost of batteries, their carbon footprint and the environmental impact associated with manufacturing large batteries.
In addition, this would open the door to reducing emissions in heavy-duty vehicles, such as cargo trucks, which are commonly responsible for much of the transportation sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The impact of this technology would benefit private vehicles, and would also have positive effects on public transportation. Electric buses, for example, could operate without the need for recharging stops, improving the efficiency of public transport systems and reducing operating costs.
There are technical and economic challenges to overcome, this breakthrough demonstrates the enormous potential of dynamic wireless charging technology to change the way we drive and the way we manage energy in transportation. VINCI Autoroutes and Electreon are committed to continue testing and improving the system, with the vision of implementing dynamic wireless charging on a large scale, creating smart highways that provide clean and continuous power to all electric vehicles.
Source and photo: VINCI
