History in the Making on Highway 52
Addison Jacoby is a rising Senior at Jefferson High School in Lafayette. This story appeared in the print edition of her school paper, ‘The Booster.’
On April 1, 2024, construction crews began working on U.S. Highway-52/231 in the Greater Lafayette area. This was not a normal road construction, but, instead, a brand-new approach to charge electric vehicles (EVs) wirelessly while they are driving on the highway. This technology has never been tested before, making the Purdue engineers pioneers in their field. History is in the making on Highway 52.
This project is made possible through a partnership with Purdue University and the engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. Construction crews from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will install copper coils under the highway’s surface to test new technology developed by Purdue researchers.
This photo shows construction happening May 1 on a quarter-mile segment that will be used for testing wireless power transferto a heavy-duty electric truck as it drives across the pavement. (Purdue University photo/Greta Bell)
Purdue engineering undergraduates, graduates, and professionals will continue to collaborate to create a new way to recharging electric vehicles. The test bed of the project is a quarter-mile long stretch of highway, which engineers will use “for testing how well a patent-pending system designed by Purdue engineers can provide power to heavy-duty electric trucks traveling at highway speeds,” according to an article published by Purdue journalist Kayla Albert.
The road will charge EVs similar to how some smartphones can be wirelessly charged. Magnetic fields charge the vehicle while moving, rather than while sitting at a charging port.
EV dynamic charging is important because it will allow EVs to become more accessible to people who do not have many charging ports near their homes. Most people, including teenagers, would pick EVs over combustible engines, but there are limitations to EVs, just as there are with gasoline cars.
One of Jefferson High School Junior Corbin Stanchfield’s concerns about EVs is that the battery may die before he arrives at his destination. Corbin travels to music gigs with his band, so it’s important he makes it there before his battery dies. A charging highway would remove that risk.
Purdue University engineers John Haddock (left), Nadia Gkritza, Dionysios Aliprantis and Steve Pekarek stand in the lab where they are testing technology they designed to enable all electric vehicle classes to receive power from the road. (Purdue University photo/Vincent Walter)
This is important for the environment, too. Electric vehicles produce zero tailpipe emissions and can wean Americans off using fossil fuels. Thus, the rising popularity of electric vehicles will ultimately improve our air quality while reducing carbon emissions. Although the EV itself may be expensive, EV drivers tend to spend 60% less money on their car per year, according to the NRDC. The harmful effects of the car are almost zero after it has been produced.
On the downside, manufacturing EVs can result in higher carbon emissions compared to the manufacturing of gasoline cars. Significant amounts of energy and materials are needed for the battery, so in the immediate, may prove as harmful for the environment as a combustible engine. However, studies suggest that over time, EVs are a net gain for the environment in reducing carbon emissions.
