South Korea’s recharging road
South Korean researchers today launched an environmentally friendly public transportation system using a “recharging road.” The vehicle sucks power magnetically from buried electrical strips.
Today, the Online Electric Vehicle (OLEV) went into service at an amusement park in southern Seoul, towing three buses. If it proves successful, they plan to use it as a bus system in the capital.
The OLEV was developed by The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). According to their reports, the OLEV uses a battery only one-fifth the size of conventional electric vehicles and also does not need major recharging.
Guests including Seoul mayor Oh Se-Hoon and KAIST president Suh Nam-Pyo were given a 2.2-kilometre (1.4-mile) ride Tuesday around the zoo at Seoul Grand Park.
The technology was first developed in a project involving the University of California (Berkeley) but KAIST said that project did not produce good results.
The state-funded institute has applied for more than 120 patents in connection with OLEV, which it describes as safe, clean and economical.
“Of all the world’s electric vehicles, this is the most economical system,” Suh told reporters, adding the operating cost is only about one-third of ordinary electric vehicles.
“The potential for application (of this technology to public transport systems) is limitless. I dare say this is one of the most significant technical gains in the 21st century,” Suh said.
The Press Release was written by: Juliet Smithson who is an expert in Smithson