Government unveils plans to charge cars Scalextric-style
The government has unveiled a new plan that it hopes will boost the number of green vehicles on Britain's roads – Scalextric-style wireless charging points.
Under the Department for Transport's strategy, ultra-low emission vehicles would be able to power up in car parks, on the roads and at the roadside without the use of a plug.
The technology would be powered by electromagnetism, with coils buried under the roads and then an electromagnetic field generated when secondary coils embedded in the cars pass overhead.
Eventually, the charging system could run the length of motorways, meaning vehicles should charge as they drive and making the technology reminiscent of the Scalextric toys.
"Wireless charging will make driving an electric vehicle as similar as possible to driving a petrol or diesel car but without frequent trips to the petrol station," David Martell of the electric car charging company Chargemaster told the Times.
The moves are part of a strategy designed to cut roadside emissions and boost the number of electric cars on the roads.
Last year, 53,203 ultra-low emission vehicles were registered, but this still only accounts for 1.7 per cent of all new registrations.
Under its Road to Zero Strategy, the government wants up to 70 per cent of new cars and 40 per cent of vans to be ultra-low emission by 2030.