Can interstate highways be converted to electric power grids serving electric cars?

Yes

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by Morgan Carlson

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Can interstate highways be converted to electric power grids serving electric cars? Moreover, is the technology at a point where it can support an idea while providing a second service and additional attributes to increase the favor and support of the idea? The answer to both questions is yes, and developments are currently underway to make the idea even more favorable, when all the differing technologies are joined together.

Under development right now, solar roads research has been given a $100,000 contract by the U.S. Department of Transportation to promote the idea of an energy generating, smart road system. Although their plans favor electric cars by having the vast road systems produce electricity and host numerous recharging stations along the way to provide power to each station, there are other technologies not included. When different ideas are combined, a formidable and efficient energy transfer system can be made to give continuous supply to electric vehicles.

First, there's the idea of capacitor charging that is already in use with some vehicles, where instead of a battery, a capacitor is used to instantly recharge upon simple contact with a voltage source. The upside of this addition is the rapid recharging. The downside is that the charge dissipates quickly. Because the charge doesn't last long, it isn't a feasible solution.

The next piece of technology underway is the development of wireless electricity, which can only be transmitted over very short distances through radio signals and magnetic waves. Currently being pursued by MIT, they hope that they can develop a system to transmit the electricity at least across a room, without using too much energy to send it. This is a very big piece to the puzzle.

Combining the three ideas, the use of electric cars becomes much more practical. If the road continually produces power from the sun, then it can use a wireless electric transmitter to send power to a receiver within a vehicle, which constantly recharges the battery, although probably at a slower rate than what is used up.

However, if a capacitor is also factored into the mix, then cars/trucks can either pull off into a charge area to instantly give their vehicle an extra charge that will keep their battery going longer, or drive through a special lane in order to hit a recharger. Other than that solution, it may be possible to forget the battery altogether and have the car travel solely by receiving the electricity from the road, but then it wouldn't be able to function on a normal road.

Thus, the best solution would be to have a hybrid electric system (not an electric/fuel hybrid, but different energy storage) with the battery and capacitor storage systems. In that way, charges at home would be instantaneous or much shorter, and travelling on the highways themselves would eliminate the need to recharge on the go. Not needing to stop at the pump or at a formal recharging station would be a smarter way to travel.

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