Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University propose to develop the world’s first contactless wireless-charging concrete pavement highway segment.

Here the cement is magnetised. For this small particles of ferrite are added to a concrete mixture, which is magnetised by passing an electric current. Ferrite is a ceramic made by mixing iron oxide with silvers of metallic elements, such as nickel and zinc. Magnetised cement creates a magnetic field that transmits power wirelessly to the vehicle.

A plate or box (12’x4′) is buried inside the roadway at a depth of a few inches. It has wire coils which connect to the power grid through a transmitter. The transmitter is surrounded by normal roadway material. A series of such transmitters are embedded in the roadway to transfer power continuously. This power is accepted by the receiver in a smaller box with coils attached to the underneath of a car.

This technology is to be validated. This is the early stage. The cars will have to be redesigned. This charging on the roads may not work for all EVs but can play an important role for some applications.

Electrifying roads can solve the problem of long-haul tracking. The trucks would not have to carry large battery packs. Of course, it would mean huge investment in infrastructure.

A ground-breaking one-mile stretch of road that can charge EVs as they move or sit stationary is to be built in Detroit, USA as a part of an inductive vehicle charging pilot programme.