• Electric vehicles are the option to overcome global warming and minimize carbon emissions.
• But people owning electric vehicles suffer from range anxiety and cannot drive for long distances with the car.
• Hence, countries such as the UK, Israel, and Sweden are testing the concept of Electric Roads.

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What are electric roads? How would they help in the case of electric vehicles?

Electric vehicles and their problems

The old fuels for cars namely petrol and diesel have their issues of increasing carbon footprint and causing global warming. It is a serious global problem though many world countries are deliberately turning a blind eye to it.

Electric vehicles have been launched to overcome this risk of petrol and diesel-driven cars and vehicles. But they have other associated main problems.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have limited mileage. That means that after recharging the vehicle battery, it can remain for a limited number of kilometers. This is generally less than 100 miles. After that, the vehicle has to be recharged at a special outlet.

This may take as long as 8 hours. Then there are also some quick-charging stations but these are few in number and far-placed from each other.

Therefore, one cannot go on lengthy drives on an electric vehicle. As a result of this, EV owners suffer from range anxiety. They tend to be worried about the road distance they can safely travel in their EV.

Electric roads-the new cure for the range anxiety

The concept of electric roads is a new concept. It is also called EV-charging roads. Some countries of the world such as the UK, Israel, and Sweden are testing this new idea. It is a wireless charging facility that will be inbuilt into the road itself.

By this, electric cars and vehicles would be charged on the go. There will be a system of copper coils laid down under the road asphalt. The road will get its electric energy from this grid and this can then charge the approaching electric vehicles.

The concept sounds good but it has to be first tested in a limited area to see whether any untoward ill-effects result from this technology. Also, the country’s governments and engineers want to know whether the whole concept is effective or not.

Countries testing electric roads

The UK plans to start testing this concept in a limited area of its roads. Highway England announced that if successful, the technology would increase the number of people going for electric cars.

Range anxiety would not occur and people would be happy going for the purchase electric vehicles. This might probably help in continuous and tension-free travel.

Similarly, the concept will be put to test in Tel Aviv, Israel in Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality. The Municipality’s deputy mayor for transportation Meital Lehavi said:

“The innovative design of the road will remove the need to establish charging stations or be operationally bound to terminals,”

ElectReon and Dan Bus Company will help with the project installation. The road-tested would be 1.2 miles long and out of it, 0.37 miles would be the electric part. First, only buses will be able to drive on this road. City mayor Ron Huldai said:

“Our strategic action plan to prepare for climate change has placed the fight against pollution at the top of the municipality’s environmental agenda,”

Once this project is a success, it will extend to other places in the city and also to other types of electric vehicles. Sweden is also launching its electric road concept and there is some ray of hope in all these ventures!

Also, read Jane Fonda to devote her entire life now to climate change!