South Korea tests electric road
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), which developed the system, said on Thursday (8 August) it would be tested over the next four months on a 24km route in the southern city of Gumi.
Pick-up equipment mounted underneath the bus, or Online Electric Vehicle (OLEV), sucks up power through non-contact magnetic charging from strips buried under the road surface.
It then distributes the power either to drive the vehicle or for battery storage. As a result it requires a battery only one-fifth the size of conventional electric vehicles.
The system also eliminates the need for overhead wires used to power conventional trams or trolley buses.
The technology does not come cheap, with each OLEV costing around 700m won (US$630,000).
"The technology is readily available but the question is how to bring down the cost," said Park Jong-Han, manager of the company that produced the OLEV prototypes.
"Once the cost goes down, I believe more cities will be interested in commercialising the new transport network," Park told AFP.
The system has already been partially tested on a much smaller scale at an amusement park and on the KAIST campus.
Electrifying the road does not require major construction work, as the recharging stations only have to be buried along about 10% to 15% of the route at places such as bus stops.
Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge
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