France will test charging electric cars and trucks on the A10 motorway near Paris. As part of this experiment, two technologies will be tested. On the one hand, magnetic coils slid under the asphalt will recharge batteries by induction, such as mobile phones. On the other hand, a lane inserted flush with the asphalt will allow the grounding of equipped vehicles.
These “electric highway” systems could accelerate the ongoing revolution in the auto industry: They allow electric vehicles to run longer, without stopping to recharge and without dragging overly heavy and voracious batteries in rare materials.
These “electric roads” would reduce between 62 and 71% the autonomy necessary for the normal use of cars and therefore the size of their batteries, according to a study by the University of Gothenburg (Sweden). In addition, the savings made on the batteries would largely finance them, according to this study.
On the A10, the idea is to test these solutions at high speed.
It is about “eliminating the last remaining issues, before deploying these technologies on a large scale, over hundreds or thousands of kilometres”, explains Louis du Pasquier, project manager at Vinci.
First tests in September
The first tests will take place in September 2023 in Rouen on a closed track at Cerema, a public establishment under the supervision of the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
These dynamic charging systems will then be installed four kilometers from the right lane of the A10 in the direction of Paris-Orléans, upstream of the Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines toll barrier. Chargers will only activate with compatible vehicles.
The Mont-Blanc (Haute-Savoie) motorway will also soon test a “scrubber” solution, originally developed by Alstom for trams. Vehicles equipped with a retractable device collect electricity from a supply track inserted into the surface layer of the road.
The “electric highway” will be instrumental in quickly electrifying heavy-duty vehicles, which are still running on diesel, according to reports submitted to the Ministry of Transport in the summer of 2021.
technological barriers
Enthusiastic, Patrick Pelata, a former manager of Renault, explains that the “electric road” allows “a strong decarbonization of long-distance road transport as electricity decarbonises in Europe.”
It also presents, he assures, “excellent energy efficiency, a continuous supply of energy that does not degrade the operating conditions of trucks and a significant reduction in the size of the batteries of heavy-duty vehicles that make long trips”, while for “very strong” reducing the need for charging stations.
Technological barriers, however, remain to be removed: according to reports made to the ministry, the induction is not very powerful and expensive, while the rail can get stuck and cause problems for two-wheelers in particular.
A third solution studied
In addition to the induction and conductor rail, a third solution is being tested in Germany, using catenary, as for trams: it is “the most technically advanced” but it only supplies trucks, and the necessary road pylons pose road safety problems , according to a report submitted to the Ministry of Transport.
The startup Electreon, which supplies the induction system, already has projects in Israel, Sweden, the United States and Italy, where Fiat is testing the charge of a small 500. The Elonroad consortium, which supplies the rail, has been testing since 2019 in the south sweden.
The A10 experiment will extend over three years with a budget of 26 million euros, with the support of the France 2030 public plan through the Public Investment Bank (BPI).
Source: BFM TV
