Electrified roadways? They may play an important role in our transportation future.

According to an article on WebIndia123.com, researchers are working to devise a practical and effective method of powering vehicles with an electrified coil in the road. The coil would create an electromagnetic field that interacts with a coil attached to the car. The new technology might also alleivate the need for car batteries.

"Since the coils must be exactly aligned face-to-face to achieve a high energy efficiency, such schemes may be useful for charging vehicles in a parking lot, but never very effective for cars while running," said Masahiro Hanazawa at Toyota Central R and D Labs in Nagakute, Aichi, Japan.

Hanazawa is also working with colleagues at Toyohashi University of Technology to develop a system which would transmit electric power through steel belts inside two tires and a metal plate in the road.

The researchers have said that, with enough power, the system could run typical passenger cars. They’re now working on a small-scale prototype to prove their claim.