Charge-while-you-drive technology could be a reality according to carmaker Stellantis following a successful trial in Italy. The car group, which owns Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat, worked with Italian toll road operator A35 Brebemi and charging firm ABB to develop a test track to perfect the system which allows electric cars to recharge just by driving over a strip in the road.
The test track, dubbed ‘Arena del Futuro’ (Arena of the Future) is a 1,050-metre-long circuit located 50 miles outside Milan that has been fitted with a network of coils beneath the road surface to transfer energy directly to electric vehicles above them. The trial used an adapted Fiat 500e fitted with a wireless power receiver (Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer or DWPT) along with a special system of coils embedded in the road surface.
According to Stellantis, the test road has a 1MW grid connection and delivers enough power for electric cars to maintain charge as they drive, allowing drivers to cover long motorway stretches without using any battery reserves. Should the technology become more popular, Stellantis reckons that it would allow carmakers to offer smaller batteries and reduce range anxiety for drivers.
Could charge-as-you-drive systems be the future of electric driving? 
