The Announcement by BBC that roads are under development that powers cars without wires is the latest marvel in the race to create alternate transport fuel that is also convenient. The problem has been that drivers that normally don’t drive all that far must nevertheless be mindful of the distance to an outlet at any time. One idea is to experiment with easily switchable batteries to save the time to wait for a charge should you run low on the road. Now, someone has come up with more convenience. Match the car’s coils to road coils and Voila! cars that need never stop for fuel. While not nearly as irradiated as a floating train, such cars do have a marketing problem; they appeal primarily to naturalists. As one I can just imagine how easily someone could raise this as a health issue beyond that of electric blankets and call phones. After all, in this case the radiation is strong enough to propel a car. I believe I rode such a vehicle at Walt Disney World.
Since Disney came here to experiment in urban tech, such cars could have been all the rage were his dream fully realized.
But it wasn’t. Now it might not take that much further innovation. Grounding a metal shield between the propulsion and the passengers might be all it would take. Might be. But to be championed by those who seek a more natural life, we should be assured such measures have been taken.
The worst that could happen is to make a major investment by the time the issue comes up and then hope people get used to what already exists. That is just how a public work can fail. By the time such concerns are addressed and behind, the idea is commercially over.
A little care here could go a long way.