Charge as you drive

History

2025: Road Launch

At the end of October 2025, the France world's first commercial road was commissioned, equipped with a dynamic wireless charging system that allows electric vehicles to replenish the energy supply of batteries directly while driving. The implemented project was called Charge as you drive.

Wireless charging appeared on a 1.6-kilometer stretch of the A10 motorway, about 40 kilometers southwest of Paris. A consortium consisting of Vinci Autoroutes, Electreon, Vinci Construction and Hutchinson took part in the project. In addition, specialists from Gustave Eiffel University contributed to the work.

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Фото: Vinci Autoroutes

The Charge as you drive system provides for the integration of special transmission coils that create a magnetic field into the roadway. In the area of ​ ​ the bottom of the vehicle there are receiving coils: they convert the received electromagnetic energy into electrical energy, which is then used to charge the battery or power the electric motor. In general, the principle of operation of the technology is similar to the wireless charging systems of smartphones, such as Qi.

Charge as you drive provides a peak power of over 300 kW and an average power of over 200 kW under optimal conditions. The technology allows you to continuously charge batteries while driving: this reduces the idle time of vehicles and potentially makes it possible to use smaller and lighter battery packs. The operation of the system is based on the exact alignment of the transmitting and receiving coils. During charging, real-time energy transmission is monitored. In theory, the technology can be used in a wide variety of vehicles - from cars and SUVs to buses and heavy trucks.^[1]

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