Experiments with roads with wireless charging of electric cars on the move have been conducted in different countries. In the South Korean city of Kumi, a line of electric buses with such a system was even launched. The SmartRoad Gotland project, the first intercity road with charging cars on the move, stands out in this row. Last night a “wireless” electric bus drove along it and carried its first passengers. The tests will last until the spring of 2022.
The system consists of copper coils in the pavement, controlled by a unit that communicates with passing electric cars, transmitting at the right moment electricity to their receiver to charge the battery and power the motor. The electronics coordinate through the cloud.
The SmartRoad Gotland system is small, the charging section of the highway is only 1.6 km long. But it connects the airport on the island of Gotland and its main city of Visby. Earlier (at the end of 2020), an electric truck was driven along the highway to test the devices for the first time.
The project SmartRoad Gotland is implemented under the auspices of the Transport Administration of Sweden, it involves several partners from Italy, Germany and Sweden itself, and the key role – the Israeli company ElectReon. This company has developed a system for transferring energy to the car on the move. In this example, it can pump 70 kW of power at speeds of up to 80 km/h. ElectReon plans to erect similar pilot sites in a number of European countries, as well as homes in Israel. As for Sweden, in addition to the road in Gotland, they are going to open three more similar sections of charging highways in the form of experience, and by 2030 already to stretch 2,000 km of highways with wireless charging of electric cars.
