Last month, the semiconductor and telecom giant Qualcomm “demonstrated dynamic electric vehicle charging (DEVC), which allows vehicles to charge while driving.” It uses technology similar to the wireless charging you can now use for your phone and other gadgets.
Significantly, Qualcomm designed, built, and tested a wireless system that can charge an EV “at highway speeds” — and can simultaneously charge multiple vehicles in both directions. Many other companies are pursuing such wireless systems, since it would make EV charging vastly simpler and more convenient.
Meanwhile, the Chinese are testing roads that are paved with solar panels. The stunning drop in panel prices and improvement in durability means that in the near future, it could be competitive to replace asphalt with solar panels.
Indeed, “road builders in China even want to design solar roads that can wirelessly recharge electric cars running on them,” using technology like Qualcomm’s, the New York Times reported Monday. That would solve the range and charging problem entirely.
The ultimate prize is domination of a market that is rising exponentially. Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s Electric Vehicle Outlook 2018 projects that “Electric cars may be cheaper than their petroleum counterparts by 2025,” and that EVs will come to dominate new-car sales.
Why electric cars will soon be superior to gasoline cars in every respect – ThinkProgress