Wireless EV Charging at Highway Speed Is Now a Reality

Wireless EV charging is no longer a future concept. It is now operating on real highways at real driving speeds. A recent public road test led by Purdue University and the Indiana Department of Transportation proved that wireless power transfer can charge an electric truck while driving at 65 miles per hour.

This changes how we think about range, batteries, and the future of electric transportation.

Wireless EV Charging

What Is Wireless EV Charging?

Wireless EV charging uses wireless power transfer instead of physical cables. Energy moves across an air gap using magnetic fields rather than direct electrical contact.

The system works through three core components:

• Transmitter coils embedded beneath the road

• Receiver coils mounted underneath the vehicle

• A tuned magnetic field that transfers energy between them

When the vehicle passes over the energized section, power flows directly into the battery without stopping or plugging in.

What Happened in the Highway Test for Wireless EV Charging​

During the test:

• A heavy duty electric truck drove at 65 MPH

• It passed over a quarter mile of embedded charging coils

• The system delivered 190 kilowatts of wireless power transfer

• The truck received about 0.73 kWh of energy in under 14 seconds

That may sound small, but that is the entire point. Wireless EV charging is designed for continuous boosts along long highway corridors, not for single large charges.

When vehicles receive frequent power along the road, battery packs no longer need to be massive. That reduces:

• Vehicle weight

• Battery cost

• Charging downtime

• Total energy waste

Why Wireless EV Charging​ Changes Electric Trucks First?

Electric trucks face a bigger challenge than passenger EVs:

• They carry heavier loads

• They need longer range

• They lose payload capacity to oversized batteries

Wireless EV charging solves this by shifting range responsibility from the battery to the road itself. Instead of carrying all their energy, trucks receive it gradually while traveling. This allows:

• Smaller battery packs

• Higher payload capacity

• Shorter depot charging stops

• Lower upfront vehicle cost

For freight, this is a direct economic advantage.

Is Wireless Power Transfer Safe?

Yes.

The system is designed with layered safety controls:

• Magnetic fields stay tightly confined to the area above the road

• The system only activates when a registered receiver is detected

• Vehicles next to the charging lane experience negligible exposure

• Passenger cabins remain well under FCC safety limits

• Vehicle bodies naturally shield occupants

• No interference occurs with radar, lidar, or vehicle sensors

• Thermal and electrical monitoring shuts down any faulty segment instantly

Wireless power transfer on roads does not pose a risk to nearby drivers, electronics, or pedestrians.

What This Technology Really Means

Wireless EV charging turns the electric vehicle problem inside out.

Until now, range anxiety was treated as a battery problem. Bigger batteries. Faster plugs. More charging stations. But wireless power transfer reframes it as an infrastructure problem instead.

If highways provide continuous energy:

• Batteries shrink

• Charging stops disappear

• Freight electrification accelerates

• Energy use becomes smoother and more efficient

• The total cost of EV ownership drops

This is the same shift that transformed fuel delivery a century ago, but for electricity.

The Real Question Now for Wireless EV Charging​

Wireless EV charging is no longer theoretical. It works at full highway speed, on real pavement, under real vehicle vibration. The engineering barrier has been crossed.

Now the question is not if wireless power transfer will scale.

The question is how fast states and freight operators choose to build it.