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While the new 2021 infrastructure bill promises to increase charging areas across the country, we're not quite there yet. Electric vehicles have come a long way, but it will be a few more years before people are comfortable buying one.
Driving your EV while charging is an idea already in progress.
What keeps drivers from buying an electric car?
Purchasing an all-electric car means you save money on gasoline and you don't have to worry about going to the gas station to fuel up so often. But, it also means you have to keep the battery charged up by finding charging stations along your traveling route.
According to BusinessInsider, there are only around 100,000 plugs at approximately 41,000 charging stations sprinkled throughout the country. Some drivers aren't ready to take the plunge yet because of the fear of not having enough charging stations available.
There are even drivers who have traded their electric cars in for gas-powered ones, specifically because there weren't enough stations in their area. Some places haven't gotten the charging technology yet, so traveling destinations are somewhat limited.
Is it possible to drive down the road while charging your vehicle?
According to the New York Times, there is technology being developed that could make that dream happen. The theory is that there would be special metal plating embedded within the road that would connect to a nearby powerline that's attached to an inverter.
An electric car would have the same plating attached underneath to pick up the frequencies from the road. This would charge the vehicle wirelessly, much like our phones.
Wireless charging has been tried before and failed, but the difference is that researchers tried to harness magnetic fields and not electric ones. To use magnetic frequencies would require bulky hardware, but not with electric fields.
Nikola Tesla invented a way of powering lights without the need to plug them in. His invention dates back 100 years, though.
It's this system, using alternating electric fields, that's allowing Cornell University researchers to tap into this and possibly make it work on the road.
What is keeping this electric car charging tech from being used today?
In theory, this technology will revolutionize the automotive industry and propel the sale of electric vehicles astronomically. However, it looks like we're about a decade off from seeing this come to fruition.
The main reason keeping it from being introduced right now, is the difficulty researchers have in obtaining the parts that would be needed to make this happen.
To implement it, we would need plating that can handle high voltages of electricity. They also need to create switches that can handle the high frequencies needed to charge the vehicle.
The other reason is that there are numerous roads out there that would need some major reworking done to get plates embedded into concrete and tar. The plan, though, is to offer a lane you can switch to when you need to charge the battery. But, this still takes time to get accomplished.
What your electric vehicle could use right now is affordable insurance
While this kind of technology is far off in the future right now, one thing you can be sure of is being able to obtain the right insurance policy. This will keep your electric vehicle safe while you wait for wireless charging to make its appearance.
Jerry can help you scan through several companies to find the one with the right policy for your electric car, SUV, or truck. Trust us to get what you need quickly and easily.
