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Irritatingly long waits at traffic signals could soon be something electric vehicle (EV) drivers look forward to. This if a pilot test project in the Japanese smart city of Kashiwa-no-ha, close to Tokyo.
Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City is named so because it has been spearheading tests and experiments in the field of smart and cutting-edge mobility. The city will now begin a new test program which would allow EVs to be charged wirelessly when easing past traffic intersections here.
The project is being oversees by the Universities of Tokyo and Chiba, along with a number of major auto-related companies. Precast charging coils are placed on the surface of the road where major traffic signals are at. Specially-designed EVs and plug-in hybrids, complete with a unique device near their tyres, would be able to allow for charging of the batteries inside the vehicle. It is claimed that when such a vehicle moves slowly over the coils, its battery would get a minor boost in charge - 10 seconds for around one kilometre.
This, of course, is a test at its absolute nascent stage but could potentially open up several unique ways of ensuring vehicles of tomorrow can get power from a wide variety of sources. At present, EV-charging highways are already being tested where an EV's battery can be powered as it zips through specially-constructed roads.