France Starts Testing Motorway That Can Charge EVs

France has begun testing a motorway system capable of recharging electric vehicles as they travel on the A10 route nearly 25 miles southwest of Paris. Engineers embedded induction coils beneath 0.9 miles of asphalt on the A10 motorway and connected them to electrical power supplies controlled through software and sensor systems. 

Dubbed ‘Charge as You Drive’, it is a collaboration between Electreon, VINCI Autoroutes, Hutchinson, Gustave Eiffel University, and VINCI Construction to test the feasibility of dynamic wireless charging technology under real traffic conditions. 

When electric vehicles equipped with receiver coils pass over the sections with embedded coils, energy transfers from the coils to vehicle receivers via magnetic fields, recharging their batteries while they travel. The technology targets heavy vehicles including delivery trucks and commercial vans as well as passenger automobiles. Vehicles must have receiver coils installed to utilize the charging infrastructure. 

Four prototype vehicle types participated in A10 testing: a utility van, a heavy truck, bus, and passenger car. Researchers are measuring system performance across the different vehicle categories that operate within normal traffic patterns to test the technology’s viability. The trials aim to determine whether roadway charging can effectively supplement or replace traditional plug-in charging stations for various transportation applications. 

Development teams conducted two years of material and structural testing before motorway installation commenced. Official work began at VINCI Construction’s Road Research Center in Mérignac in September 2023. Engineers evaluated various materials for strength and durability under sustained heavy vehicle traffic. 

Gustave Eiffel University researchers subsequently performed large-scale testing at the Bouguenais-based LAMES laboratory using traffic simulators to replicate 25 years of truck stress within weeks. Their results showed that coils and pavement maintained optimal condition throughout accelerated testing. 

French authorities granted approval for live motorway installation soon after. Three Gustave Eiffel University laboratories monitored the road during initial real-world trials after coils were embedded and the section opened to traffic. According to early findings, the system provides over 300 kilowatts of peak power and more than 200 kilowatts of electricity under stable conditions. This is enough energy to recharge electric vehicles, even electric large trucks, at average motorway speeds. 

Researchers across multiple countries, including Norway, the U.S., Italy, Germany, Sweden, South Korea, and China, are testing dynamic charging technology. France’s A10 project is the first time this charging approach has been implemented on an active motorway with normal traffic flow. Such roadway charging systems could reduce battery size requirements for commercial vehicles and address one of the largest barriers to EV adoption: range anxiety. 

However, the EV industry will have to address various challenges before the technology can be deployed at scale. This includes installation costs, standardization across manufacturers, and receiver compatibility. If the French trial and future tests are successful, they could speed up EV adoption by making charging a seamless experience that doesn’t require planned stops at charging stations. 

In the meantime, motorists will have to depend on the capacity of the rechargeable in-built batteries in electric vehicles made by enterprises like Bollinger Innovations, Inc. (NASDAQ: BINI) that require a stopover at a charging facility once the battery gets depleted. 

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