INDIANA (WEHT) – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) says roads that charge your electric vehicle while you drive may sound like a thing of the future, but it may be a reality quicker than you think.
INDOT says this concept is one of the first of its kind, along with the Joint Transportation Research Program and Purdue University, the Indiana Department of Transportation has been working to develop a contactless wireless-charging concrete pavement highway segment. Officials this concept is similar to recharging your cellphone by sitting it on a wireless pad without ever plugging it in.
Officials say this project is moving quickly, as it started in 2021. INDOT says the phases of this project are:
- Phases one and two
- Pavement testing
- Pavement analysis
- Optimization research
INDOT says the laboratory testing phase has now been completed at the INDOT Research campus, and engineers are working on the final design for a physical testbed. Officials say the last phase will include:
- Phase three
- Construction of a quarter-mile testbed on U.S. 231/U.S. 52 in West Lafayette.
- Testing of the concrete’s capacity to charge heavy trucks operation at high power, 200kw and above.
INDOT says upon successful completion of all testing phases, INDOT will use the new technology to electrify a yet-to-be-determined segment of interstate highway within Indiana. Officials say this project is a part of the Advancing Sustainability through Power Infrastructure for Road Electrification Initiative. INDOT says this project will both extend the range of electric vehicles and reduce carbon emissions emitted by Indiana’s transportation sector.
