Renault shows-off road which charges EVs at 100km/h

Renault has revealed a vision of the future that could see pure-electric vehicles charged as they cruise along the highway at more than 100km/h.

The new wireless charging technology, developed in cooperation with British EV experts Qualcomm Technologies and fellow French firm Vedecom, has been created to rid pure-electric vehicles of their biggest drawback - the downtime required to charge them.

Capable of charging batteries at up to 20kW at speeds in excess of 100km/h, the new wireless charging technology requires a road to have embedded charging strips that are can charge vehicles in both directions.

To prove the system works, Renault has built a 100-metre test track near its Paris HQ to show the technology in action as two adapted Renault Kangoo ZEs travel along the road.

Commenting on the breakthrough made by the French car maker and its new tech partners, head of Renault's electric vehicle program, Eric Feunteun said: "we see dynamic charging as a great vision to further enhance the ease of use and accessibility of EVs for all."

Already partly funded by the European Union, the wireless charging project will continue testing until December before a feasibility study begins to address the technological and economic implications of rolling out the wireless charging on European roads.

If proved viable, it could see pure-electric vehicles become significantly cheaper as it will allow car makers to reduce the size of the expensive lithium ion batteries currently needed to match a petrol vehicle’s range.