One of the problems with switching to electric cars is the range of the vehicles per charge. But what if the roads themselves provided a constant charge, like a third rail?
Txchnologist (a news website that is presented by General Electric) reports on a concept from the Energy Dynamics Laboratory at Utah State University for roads that would charge electric vehicles as they drive on them:
"Electric vehicles, or EVs, could pick up small amounts of electricity as they drive over charging pads buried under the asphalt and connected to the electrical grid. Researchers say that a continuously available power supply would allow EVs to cut battery size as much as 80 percent, drastically reducing vehicle cost."
A Korean institute has recently developed a similar concept which it is developing to charge a bus system in Seoul.
Read the full story: Electric Roads: Could You Drive Coast to Coast Without Stopping?
Alternative Infrastructure: Electrified Roads
The concept is no different from trains travelling along a charged track. While any real-world implementation is a long way off, the TEV team is building a trial road for a lower estimated cost per mile than traditional highway.
Swapping your gas car for an EV is greener than keeping it, research shows
An EV repays the 'carbon debt' caused by building it after 4,400 miles.
Massachusetts program pays EV owners to put power back into the grid
A pilot program could pave the way for more vehicle-to-grid installations in the United States.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
LA to transform part of water treatment facility into new park
By rebuilding some of the Los Angeles-Glendale Water Reclamation Plant’s infrastructure, the city will free up 18,000 square feet to create a new green space for the public.
San Antonio approves $1.1 billion transit agenda
The agency has also begun construction of its Via Rapid Green line, which will service passengers from the San Antonio International Airport.
Guerilla urbanists’ DIY benches joined by sanctioned seats in Chicago
The group behind the original homemade benches said they will continue installing them across bench-less bus stops in Chicago.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
One Hundred Miles
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