Qualcomm Halo, which has been developed by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (QTI), has been tested and proven to allow electric vehicles (EV) to charge while parked or while driving using its dynamic electric vehicle charging (DEVC) technology.

The smartphone chip maker has created a 100-metre stretch of road that sends charge to electric vehicles travelling on it, even at high speeds.

“This is a huge achievement, and as someone who’s studied wireless power transfer and focused my career on its commercialisation, this is pretty cool stuff,” says Michael Kissin, director engineering at Qualcomm New Zealand Limited.

“Being part of a team helping to drive change and deliver technology to benefit the industry, the planet and how we power passenger vehicles of the future is absolutely fascinating.”

The first live demonstration of the tech firm’s Scalextric-like road took place last week in France.

It works by linking a number of Qualcomm’s ‘Halo’ wireless charging pads - designed to charge an electric car when it’s parked - into a stretch of tarmac.

Experts at the company have already suggested implementing the pads into sections of road at traffic lights and even in taxi ranks to charge cars when they’re at a standstill.

However, the latest demonstration showed that the technology is adaptable for a dynamic scenario too.

“A question I get asked a lot is when can I buy a vehicle with WEVC installed and ready to use,” Kissin added. “The number of development contracts and requests for quotation from automotive OEMs is on the increase. We expect that production orders will be placed soon, and we will start to see WEVC systems on production vehicles in the next two to three years.”

If integrated into the nation’s road network, it would almost certainly bring an end to range anxiety - when motorists become stressed about how much electric charge is remaining on long journey.

It could also mean that vehicles could return from a journey with more battery life than they left with - and significantly reduce travel times for electric vehicle drivers who would no longer have to go in search of plug-in points and then wait for the batteries to be replenished.