France switches on world’s first road that wirelessly charges EVs on the go

Located near Paris, the 1.5-kilometre-long self-charging highway can charge multiple buses, cars and trucks simultaneously at speeds of up to 200kW.

France plans to make 9,000 kms of wireless charging EV highways across the country. (Image Source: Electreon)

France has activated the world’s first highway capable of wirelessly charging electric vehicles as they drive. Located just outside of Paris near the A10 motorway, the 1.5-kilometre-long stretch can charge multiple buses, cars, and heavy-duty trucks in motion.

Verified by Gustave Eiffel University’s independent laboratories, the wireless charging highway is designed to deliver a continuous power of more than 200 kW that peaks at 300 kW. This is equivalent to the same amount of power that is delivered by some of the fastest chargers in the world, like Tesla’s V3 Supercharger.

How does it work?

The self-charging EV highway is packed with copper coils underneath the asphalt on the road, which are responsible for generating a magnetic field that can transfer power to electric vehicles with special receivers. This is similar to the energy transfer which happens when you slap a magnetic powerbank on the back of an iPhone or a phone that supports wireless charging. Since the system uses a magnetic field to charge the vehicles, it will work in heavy rain, ice or snow without any problems.

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Since the charging speeds are fast, it may also help cars and trucks take longer trips and reduce the need for taking breaks in between or carry additional or heavy batteries for long runs.

According to ArenaEV, the self-charging road added a huge amount of range to electric vehicles in a few minutes, meaning the technology could help fix one of the biggest problems holding back electric vehicles – range. Also, if widely adopted, we may see cheaper and lighter electric vehicles, are manufacturers won’t have to pack in huge batteries.

Apart from the wireless charging tech, the highway also has some more advantages. Since it is built into the pavement itself, it means there are no moving parts that risk wear and tear. Developed by Electreon, the system is in line with the French Ministry of Transport’s goal to lay down 9,000 km of wireless charging electric roads by 2035.