Green light for roads that power your car …

Trials of Scalextric-style roads will start within weeks as part of a multimillion-pound plan to encourage motorists to drive electric cars.

Tests on practice tracks will begin in the autumn to develop technology that allows electric and hybrid cars to be charged as they are driven. The wireless system involves transferring power from an electric cable buried in the road to a passing car, dramatically boosting the vehicle’s range.

Highways England plans to test the “dynamic wireless power transfer” system for 18 months before progressing to full on-road trials. The government-owned company said the off-road trial would cost £4.1 million.

Motorists would be charged to use the system, which could be installed on motorways and major A-roads. A high-voltage line would be placed alongside the road, feeding coils buried beneath the highway. An electromagnetic field would be generated when a secondary coil in the car passed overhead, transferring energy to the vehicle.

A feasibility study commissioned by the agency admitted that the technology would be expensive to install and may not trigger a huge increase in the take-up of environmentally friendly cars. The report estimated that it would cost £17 million a kilometre to adapt a motorway and as much as £425,000 to connect it to the electricity grid.

The study also found that the network could interfere with the car’s electric technology. Motorists did not find that the system “was the breakthrough technology they were waiting for” but it could be an influencing factor in promoting green vehicles, the report said.

Similar technology has already been adapted to power buses in Milton Keynes, charging stationary vehicles at key points.

Highways England says no cars are being built with wireless charging systems but “several are in advanced trials and demonstration systems exist in a number of countries”.

The trial is being funded through a £500 million government fund to encourage drivers to shift to environmentally friendly cars. Other schemes include the installation of charging points every 20 miles on motorways.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said that more than 35,000 electric cars had been registered in Britain since 2001.

Andrew Jones, the roads minister, said: “The potential to recharge low emission vehicles on the move offers exciting possibilities.”

Mike Wilson, Highways England’s chief engineer, said the new technology would help “to create a more sustainable road network and open up new opportunities for businesses that transport goods across the country”.

 

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