This Highway Charges Electric Trucks While They’re Driving

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Article Date: 2025-12-12T09:20:00-05:00
Article URL: https://www.supplychain247.com/article/wireless-charging-electric-truck-roadway-purdue-university
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Summary

Purdue University researchers installed coils under a quarter-mile stretch of highway pavement in Indiana and demonstrated wireless power transfer to a heavy-duty electric truck while it drove at highway speeds. The embedded transmitter coils send energy upward to receiver coils mounted under the truck, supplying power levels that researchers say are sufficient for real-world freight vehicles. The test marks the first U.S. demonstration of an in-motion charging system for heavy-duty trucks and aims to reduce charging downtime and reliance on very large onboard batteries. Future work will assess scalability, deployment costs and wider infrastructure requirements.

Key Points

Purdue built and tested a quarter-mile roadway segment that wirelessly charged a heavy-duty electric truck in motion.
Power is transmitted from coils embedded beneath the pavement to receiver coils attached under the truck as it drives over the section.
The system delivered power at levels suitable for freight vehicles rather than only small test platforms or passenger cars.
On-the-move charging could reduce the need for very large onboard batteries and cut charging downtime on long-haul routes.
Significant next steps include scaling the technology, assessing deployment and maintenance costs, and understanding grid and infrastructure impacts.

Context and Relevance

This demonstration sits at the intersection of transport electrification, infrastructure innovation and sustainability. If scaled, in-motion wireless charging could change how fleets plan routes, battery capacity and charging infrastructure, making electric long-haul freight more practical. However, deployment would require major investment, standards, and attention to efficiency, safety and roadside maintenance. Policymakers, fleet operators and infrastructure planners should watch developments closely as they evaluate decarbonisation strategies and total cost of ownership for electric trucks.

Why should I read this?

Short answer: because it’s clever and actually fixes one of the biggest headaches for electric lorries. Instead of waiting around at chargers or packing massive batteries, this lets trucks top up while cruising. If you work in logistics, fleet ops or infrastructure, this could save time, money and emissions down the line — and it’s worth knowing how close the tech really is to real roads.

Author style

Punchy: This isn’t a lab curiosity any more — it’s a concrete test that points to a practical route for decarbonising freight. If decarbonising transport matters to you, read the detail; we’ve pulled out the essentials so you don’t have to sift through the technical paper.