South Korea on Tuesday (March 9) launched an "online" electric vehicle, which can recharge its battery wirelessly while on the go, at Seoul Grand Park. The vehicle is the first of its kind in the world.
As the vehicle, touted as the next-generation environment-friendly vehicle, can operate without massive, costly and rapidly depleting batteries, and any separate charging facilities, it has gained great international attention.
The vehicle, which was developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), uses a battery about one-fifth the size of the massive batteries typically used by other electric vehicles.
Seoul Metropolitan Government, which has strived to enhance air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has pushed for its introduction at the park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, in cooperation with KAIST since August last year.
The online electric vehicle is powered by the electricity generated by a magnetic system. Wires embedded five centimetres into the roadway generate a magnetic force, which the car uses to generate electricity.
The vehicle, which can run up to 40 kilometres per hour, operated on the park's 2.2-kilometre beltway, but recharged only along the first 400-metre section.
"As you can see, the online electric vehicle does not emit carbon dioxide, it would greatly help us address environmental and energy issues," said KAIST president Suh Nam-pyo said at a ceremony celebrating the operation of the vehicle.
Seoul City could introduce online electric buses on the roadways in the capital as early as next year should the vehicle at the Seoul Grand Park operate successfully, officials said.
