South Korea leading the way on electric cars.

[Dave]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23603751

South Korea has started testing a stretch of road - 12 km at this time - that will recharge electric cars as they drive, making stopping to recharge a thing of the past. I know it's early, but this kind of infrastructure change would greatly benefit society and the environment (assuming the environmental cost of electrifying the roads is less than the environmental cost of a shit-ton of today's cars and their emissions.)

 

[Timmus]

Their endgame is self driving cars so they never have to stop playing starcraft

 

[SpecialKO]

I am greatly amused by the fact that they're secretly build an F-Zero race-circuit in real life by disguising it as eco-friendly technology.

 

[Bubble181]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23603751

South Korea has started testing a stretch of road - 12 km at this time - that will recharge electric cars as they drive, making stopping to recharge a thing of the past. I know it's early, but this kind of infrastructure change would greatly benefit society and the environment (assuming the environmental cost of electrifying the roads is less than the environmental cost of a shit-ton of today's cars and their emissions.)

When you need big and invasive road works, the communists are the place to go. If it actually works, the capitalists will find a cheaper, easier way to do the same thing. It's fun.

 

[Timmus]

When you need big and invasive road works, the communists are the place to go. If it actually works, the capitalists will find a cheaper, easier way to do the same thing. It's fun.

South Koreans aren't communists tho...

 

[Bubble181]

South Koreans aren't communists tho...

North, South, <ho has time to actually read full sentences these days? Sorry!

 

[Shakey]

Is there any way to prevent someone from using this? How will it be billed? I'm guessing there will be some sort of mileage tax, which will charge you for however many miles you go. What if someone put's one of these on a normal car with a ton of batteries and just uses it to get free power. Or doesn't pay their taxes but keeps driving for free. Is there anyway to prevent that?

 

[Timmus]

Build power meters into the cars?

 

[Shakey]

But what's to stop someone without a power meter from siphoning off power.

 

[Timmus]

I suppose it all depends on how surreptisiously people are going to be able to syphon. They could also design the meters so it would obvious if they had it or not and the police could pull you over for that.

 

[drawn_inward]

I see it the same way as Iceland's hydrogen infrastructure. http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Energy/2009/0212/iceland-strides-toward-a-hydrogen-economy

Small countries can take on this sort of thing. Canada and the US are too damn big to do this. I guess a single city could give it a go.

However, I'm all for some sort of Farraday or solar recharging system with electric/gas hybrids to at least push us in that direction.

 

[jwhouk]

Simplest way to do it is as a toll road, I'd think

 

[Timmus]

Simplest way to do it is as a toll road, I'd think

That could work. Just set up stretches of road that recharge your car but don't do it for the whole highway system.

 

[GasBandit]

Or just include a "road recharging" tax/fee in the annual registration cost of a car.

Like we do, only for regular road maintenance. That's the real reason you have to renew your tags every year - tax revenue.

 

[Hailey Knight]

North, South, <ho has time to actually read full sentences these days? Sorry!

North Korea isn't building anything except toy rockets that fizz.

 

[Ravenpoe]

North Korea isn't building anything except toy rockets that fizz.

And meeting with famous leaders.

Spoiler