By Philip Proefrock, Source: Ecogeek

bus
There are many solutions, proposed or in development, to address the “range anxiety” EVs produce, from implementing fuel cells to self-propelled trailers. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed another solution to tackle the problem. The system, called OLEV (online electric vehicle), lets vehicles charge themselves while on the road or even when stationary.

Last month, two self-charging buses outfitted with OLEV took to the road in Gumi, a city in central South Korea, carrying commuters along a 15-mile roundtrip route. These buses are equipped with lithium-ion batteries, charged by electric cables under the road. These cables create a magnetic field, which a receiving device under the OLEV converts into electricity, wirelessly charging the batteries on board.

While range anxiety is a major challenge for the EV industry at large, unfortunately this solution isn’t one that’s easily transferred to all EVs–unless many, many more roads were equipped with the technology, too–and overhead cables still remain easier to install. Nevertheless, this system application already has plans to expand, with 10 more buses set to hit the road in Gumi by 2015.