PV1
Well-known member
The thought crossed my mind the other morning: If we go to in-road power transfer, the vehicles are still propelling themselves and having efficiency losses in the power transfer itself as well as the drive system. Since nearly every EV can coast in Neutral without issue, why don't we embed linear motors, a common item found in some roller coasters and maglevs, in the road and propel the vehicle directly at the posted speed limit? One could still use regen to recharge the battery and power AC/heat en-route by either holding the throttle pedal slightly in regen or setting the cruise 1 MPH below the speed limit.
Apparently, somebody's already working on it:
http://www.magnetictransportsystems.com/magneticroadway.shtml
Drive the vehicle normally on main roads, get on the highway, move over into the MRS lane, and let the road pull you along. The website above is mostly for trucks, but if it can pull a truck, it could easily handle a car. The only thing I might do differently is use an electromagnet on the vehicle instead of a permanent magnet, so that merging in/out of the MRS lane and emergency braking (wildlife on the road, etc.) cut out the magnet and allow the vehicle to de-couple from the road rather than a retractable magnet (electromagnet can switch off instantaneously).
Here's an example of what a linear motor can do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4A6kZgRaaU
Apparently, somebody's already working on it:
http://www.magnetictransportsystems.com/magneticroadway.shtml
Drive the vehicle normally on main roads, get on the highway, move over into the MRS lane, and let the road pull you along. The website above is mostly for trucks, but if it can pull a truck, it could easily handle a car. The only thing I might do differently is use an electromagnet on the vehicle instead of a permanent magnet, so that merging in/out of the MRS lane and emergency braking (wildlife on the road, etc.) cut out the magnet and allow the vehicle to de-couple from the road rather than a retractable magnet (electromagnet can switch off instantaneously).
Here's an example of what a linear motor can do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4A6kZgRaaU