Smart highway

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Smart highways and smart roads [1] are highways and roads that incorporate electronic technologies. They are used to improve the operation of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs [2] ), for traffic lights and street lighting, and for monitoring the condition of the road, as well as traffic levels and the speed of vehicles. [3]

Contents

Intelligent transportation systems

Intelligent transportation systems usually refer to the use of information and communication technologies (rather than innovations in the construction of the roadway) in the field of road transport, infrastructure, vehicles, and users, and in traffic management and mobility management, as well as for interfaces with other modes of transportation. [4]

Vehicle infrastructure integration

Structural health monitoring

Solar road panels

Purpose

The principal idea of solar road panels is to utilize the space occupied by the roads to generate electricity via photovoltaic panels installed in place of a conventional concrete or asphalt road surface. [5] Other functions for solar road panels have since then been proposed. One proposition is its use to power LED lights for creating dynamic road markings, such as lane markings, or warning messages such as “Reduce Speed” signs. [5] Another function that has been proposed is using it to power heating elements that produce sufficient energy to clear ice and snow from roadways. [5] It has also been suggested that they could power wireless charging technology to recharge the batteries of electric vehicles that drive over the panels. [5]

Criticism

Critics have highlighted that solar roadways would be more expensive, due to the cost of panels and the required extensive maintenance associated. Furthermore, they have argued they are less productive than more conventional forms of solar power infrastructure, as the panels cannot be angled towards the Sun, requiring thicker glass to withstand the weight of traffic and lack of cooling of the panels. [6]

Tests

An experimental 1-kilometer road in France called Wattway, the longest solar road in the world, inaugurated in December 2016 by Segolene Royal, the Minister of the Environment, fell apart by August 2018. Described as a fiasco by Le Monde , it produced half of the electricity expected, created bothersome noises from traffic, and deteriorated substantially over two years. [7]

Vehicle charging

Conductive

Electric road technologies which power and charge electric vehicles while driving were assessed in Sweden from 2013. [8] : 12  The assessment was scheduled to conclude in 2022. [9] The first standard for electrical equipment on board a vehicle powered by a rail electric road system (ERS), CENELEC Technical Standard 50717, has been approved in late 2022. [10] Following standards, encompassing "full interoperability" and a "unified and interoperable solution" for ground-level power supply, are scheduled to be published by the end 2024, detailing complete "specifications for communication and power supply through conductive rails embedded in the road". [11] [12] The first permanent electric road in Sweden is planned to be completed by 2026 [13] on a section of the E20 route between Hallsberg and Örebro, followed by an expansion of further 3000 kilometers of electric roads by 2045. [14]

Inductive

The Online Electric Vehicle developed by KAIST, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, uses inductive vehicle charging. Its system has inductive coils built into the road that delivers power to receivers mounted on the underside of electric vehicles. [15] : 16  Commercialization of the technology has not been successful, leading to a controversy over the continued public funding of the technology in 2019. [16] The German company IAV developed similar technology in 2009. [17] As of 2021, companies such as Magment, Electreon, and IPT are currently developing dynamic inductive coil charging technologies. [18] Additionally, IPT is developing a system that uses inductive rails instead of coils, as the current standards which use coils that were deemed "extremely expensive" for dynamic charging, according to its CEO. [19]

Usage for road markings

Glowing Lines, Studio Roosegaarde Glowing Lines Roosegaarde.jpg
Glowing Lines, Studio Roosegaarde

The Smart Highway concept developed by Studio Roosegaarde and the infrastructure management group Heijmans in the Netherlands incorporated photo-luminescent paint for road markings, which absorb light during the day then glow for a period up to 10 hours. In its first design, the Glowing Lines charge during the daytime and glows for several hours at night to create a positive highway experience and increase safety. [20] In April 2014, a pilot stretch of highway in Brabant, Netherlands was officially opened, demonstrating the technology. [21] [22] After two weeks, the paint had stopped glowing due to damage from moisture. [23]

Frost protection and melting snow, ice

Snowmelt systems using electricity or hot water to heat roads and pavements have been installed in various locations.[ where? ]

Solar Roadways has proposed including a snowmelt system with their photovoltaic road panels, since the panels already have electrical power connections for harvesting photovoltaic power. [24] Critics point to the very large energy requirements of such a system (much greater than the energy collected by the roadway in ideal conditions). [25] [26]

ICAX Limited of London's "Interseasonal Heat Capture" technology captures solar energy in thermal banks and releases it back under a roadway, heating it and keeping the asphalt free of ice. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in France</span> Overview of the transport in France

Transportation in France relies on one of the densest networks in the world with 146 km of road and 6.2 km of rail lines per 100 km2. It is built as a web with Paris at its center. Rail, road, air and water are all widely developed forms of transportation in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platoon (automobile)</span> Group of vehicles travelling separately but following another

In transportation, platooning or flocking is a method for driving a group of vehicles together. It is meant to increase the capacity of roads via an automated highway system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric vehicle</span> Vehicle propelled by one or more electric motors

An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. The vehicle can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or can be powered autonomously by a battery or by converting fuel to electricity using a generator or fuel cells. EVs include road and rail vehicles, electric boats and underwater vessels, electric aircraft and electric spacecraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless power transfer</span> Transmission of electrical energy without wires as a physical link

Wireless power transfer (WPT), wireless power transmission, wireless energy transmission (WET), or electromagnetic power transfer is the transmission of electrical energy without wires as a physical link. In a wireless power transmission system, an electrically powered transmitter device generates a time-varying electromagnetic field that transmits power across space to a receiver device; the receiver device extracts power from the field and supplies it to an electrical load. The technology of wireless power transmission can eliminate the use of the wires and batteries, thereby increasing the mobility, convenience, and safety of an electronic device for all users. Wireless power transfer is useful to power electrical devices where interconnecting wires are inconvenient, hazardous, or are not possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ground-level power supply</span> System for powering electric vehicles

Ground-level power supply, also known as surface current collection or, in French, alimentation par le sol, is a concept and group of technologies whereby electric vehicles collect electric power at ground level from individually-powered segments instead of the more common overhead lines. Ground-level power supply was developed for aesthetic reasons, to avoid the presence of overhead lines in city centres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar vehicle</span> Electric vehicle powered by solar energy

A solar vehicle or solar electric vehicle is an electric vehicle powered completely or significantly by direct solar energy. Usually, photovoltaic (PV) cells contained in solar panels convert the sun's energy directly into electric energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar panel</span> Assembly of photovoltaic cells used to generate electricity

A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. The electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct current (DC) electricity, which can be used to power various devices or be stored in batteries. Solar panels are also known as solar cell panels, solar electric panels, or PV modules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inductive charging</span> Type of wireless power transfer

Inductive charging is a type of wireless power transfer. It uses electromagnetic induction to provide electricity to portable devices. Inductive charging is also used in vehicles, power tools, electric toothbrushes, and medical devices. The portable equipment can be placed near a charging station or inductive pad without needing to be precisely aligned or make electrical contact with a dock or plug.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charging station</span> Installation for charging electric vehicles

A charging station, also known as a charge point, chargepoint, or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a power supply device that supplies electrical power for recharging plug-in electric vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar power in the United Kingdom</span>

Solar power has a small but growing role in electricity production in the United Kingdom.

A photovoltaic system, also called a PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity, a solar inverter to convert the output from direct to alternating current, as well as mounting, cabling, and other electrical accessories to set up a working system. Many utility-scale PV systems use tracking systems that follow the sun's daily path across the sky to generate more electricity than fixed-mounted systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar Roadways</span> American company

Solar Roadways Incorporated is an American company based in Sandpoint, Idaho, aiming to develop solar-powered road panels to form a smart highway. Their proof-of-concept technology is a hexagonal road panel that has a glass driving surface with underlying solar cells, electronics, and sensors to act as a part of solar array with programmable capability. The concept has been criticized as unfeasible and uneconomical as either a road surface or a photovoltaic system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Online electric vehicle</span> Type of electric vehicle

On-Line Electric Vehicle or OLEV is an electric vehicle system developed by KAIST, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, which charges electric vehicles wirelessly while moving using inductive charging. Segments composed of coils buried in the road transfer energy to a receiver or pickup that is mounted on the underside of the electric vehicle, which powers the vehicle and charges its battery.

Road powered electric vehicles (RPEV) collect any form of potential energy from the road surface to supply electricity to locomotive motors and ancillary equipment within the vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar bus</span>

A solar bus or solar-charged bus is a bus that is powered exclusively or mainly by solar energy. Solar-powered bus service is referred to as a solar bus service. The use of the term "solar bus" normally implies that solar energy is used not only for powering electric equipment on the bus, but also for the propulsion of the vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conductive charging</span>

Conductive charging is conductive power transfer that replaces the conductive wires between the charger and the charged device with conductive contacts. Charging infrastructure in the form of a board or rail delivers the power to a charging device equipped with an appropriate receiver, or pickup. When the infrastructure recognizes a valid receiver it powers on, and power is transferred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SolaRoad</span> Prototype bike path made from solar panels in the Netherlands

The SolaRoad was the world's first bike path made from solar panels, and was a prototype project testing the feasibility of various proposals for smart highways. The 72-metre (236 ft) path opened in the week of 21 October 2014, and was designed by a consortium of organizations, which built the pathway in Krommenie, Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric road</span> Road which supplies electric power to vehicles travelling on it

An electric road, eroad, or electric road system (ERS) is a road which supplies electric power to vehicles travelling on it. Common implementations are overhead power lines above the road, ground-level power supply through conductive rails, and dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT) through resonant inductive coils or inductive rails embedded in the road. Overhead power lines are limited to commercial vehicles while ground-level rails and inductive power transfer can be used by any vehicle, which allows for public charging through a power metering and billing systems. Of the three methods, ground-level conductive rails are estimated to be the most cost-effective.

The Swedish Transport Administration electric road program or Swedish Transport Administration Electrification Program is a program involving the assessment, planning, and implementation of an electric road national infrastructure for Sweden by Trafikverket, the Swedish Transport Administration.

References

  1. ↑ Toh, Chai K.; Sanguesa, Julio A.; Cano, Juan C.; Martinez, Francisco J. (29 January 2020). "Advances in Smart Roads for Future Smart Cities, Proceedings of The Royal Society Part A, Vol. 476, No. 2233, 2020". Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 476 (2233). doi:10.1098/rspa.2019.0439. PMC   7016555 . PMID   32082053.
  2. ↑ IoT Update: How Smart Cities and Connected Cars May Benefit from Each Other Published by insidetechmedia.com on 28 March 2019, retrieved on April 8, 2019
  3. ↑ AA sounds safety warning over smart motorways Published by The Guardian on April 8, 2019, retrieved on April 8, 2019
  4. ↑ http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:207:0001:0013:EN:PDF [ bare URL ]
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ranjan, Rajeev (January–February 2015). "Solar Power Roads: Revitalising Solar Highways, Electrical Power and Smart Grids". International Journal of Engineering Research and General Science. 3 (1): 380–385.
  6. ↑ "Solar Roadways: An Engineering FAILURE". 2017-05-18. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
  7. ↑ Igor Bonnet (23 July 2019). "En Normandie, le fiasco de la plus grande route solaire du monde". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 14 August 2019. Après avoir produit la première année un peu plus de 50 % des 790 kilowattheures (kWh) par jour attendus, soit un total de 149 459 kWh sur l'année, l'équipement a généré 78 397 kWh en 2018 et 37 900 kWh depuis janvier, comme l'indiquait, début juillet, le relevé de l'association de promotion du photovoltaïque BDPV, qui recense la production d'installations solaires en France.
  8. ↑ Swedish Transport Administration (November 29, 2017), National roadmap for electric road systems (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on November 24, 2020
  9. ↑ Regler för statliga elvägar SOU 2021:73 (PDF), Regeringskansliet (Government Offices of Sweden), September 1, 2021, pp. 291–297, archived from the original (PDF) on September 2, 2021
  10. ↑ "PD CLC/TS 50717 Technical Requirements for Current Collectors for ground-level feeding system on road vehicles in operation", The British Standards Institution , 2022, archived from the original on January 2, 2023, retrieved January 2, 2023
  11. ↑ Final draft: Standardization request to CEN-CENELEC on 'Alternative fuels infrastructure' (AFI II) (PDF), European Commission, February 2, 2022, archived from the original (PDF) on April 8, 2022, retrieved January 2, 2023
  12. ↑ Matts Andersson (July 4, 2022), Regulating Electric Road Systems in Europe - How can a deployment of ERS be facilitated? (PDF), CollERS2 - Swedish German research collaboration on Electric Road Systems
  13. ↑ "Rebecka Johansson, Ministry of Infrastructure - ERS Regulations, policies and strategies in Sweden", Electric Road Systems - PIARC Online Discussion, November 4, 2021, 14 minutes 25 seconds into the video
  14. ↑ Jonas Grönvik (September 1, 2021), "Sverige på väg att bli först med elvägar – Rullar ut ganska snabbt", Ny Teknik
  15. ↑ D Bateman; et al. (October 8, 2018), Electric Road Systems: a solution for the future (PDF), TRL, archived (PDF) from the original on 3 August 2020, retrieved 10 February 2021
  16. ↑ Kwak Yeon-soo (24 March 2019). "ICT minister nominee accused of wasting research money". The Korea Times .
  17. ↑ Bill Christensen (October 11, 2009), "In-Road Electric Vehicle Charger", Technovelgy.com
  18. ↑ Amy M. Dean (August 29, 2021), German Co. Works Alongside INDOT to Create Concrete Roads that Can Charge EVs as they Drive Along, International Society for Concrete Pavements
  19. ↑ E-Mobility Engineering staff (September 6, 2021), "Wireless Charging", E-Mobility Engineering
  20. ↑ "Smart Highway | Smart Highway | Studio Roosegaarde". 19 October 2013.
  21. ↑ Clark, Liat. "Netherlands highways will glow in the dark from mid-2013 (Wired UK)". Wired UK. Wired.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-05-30. Retrieved 2014-06-02.
  22. ↑ "Glow in the dark road unveiled in the Netherlands". BBC. 2014-04-14. Archived from the original on 2014-07-03. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  23. ↑ "Tegenvaller voor Weg van de Toekomst: lichtgevende lijnen werken niet" (in Dutch). Omroep Brabant. 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  24. ↑ "Solar-powered 'smart' roads could zap snow, ice". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  25. ↑ Media, Provectus (2016-06-17). "Solar Powered Roads: The Future, or Just Hype?". Zero To 60 Times. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  26. ↑ Ryan, Dylan (21 September 2018). "Solar panels replaced tarmac on a road -- here are the results". The Conversation. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  27. ↑ "Solar Road Systems from ICAX clears ice from Toddington roads for Highways Agency using under road heating | TRL report heated roads". www.icax.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
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