Professor John Haddock and graduate student Oscar Moncada examine a slab of concrete pavement they are testing to handle heavy truck loads with wireless power transfer technology installed below the surface. The machine behind them is designed to imitate those loads by repeatedly passing half a loaded semi-truck axle across the concrete slab. (Photo provided by Consensus Digital Media)

Construction for a new project on U.S. Highway 52 in Indiana began April 1 that could someday wirelessly charge electric vehicles, large and small, as they drive. The construction is taking place on a quarter-mile test bed of U.S Highway 231/U.S. Highway 52 in West Lafayette with the teamwork of Purdue University engineers and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT).

The Purdue-designed wireless charging system will differ from other systems in the U.S. and tackles new challenges. As the first highway-based system, it is intended to work at power levels much higher than what has been demonstrated on city streets to accommodate for heavy-duty vehicles and the higher rate of speed.

Read more about the project here: Building the first highway segment in the U.S. that can charge electric vehicles big and small as they drive – Purdue University News