In a move which will potentially increase the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK by making their recharging easier and wireless, the government has plans underway to install a new generation of Scalextric-style EV charging points.

According to a UK government plan recently unveiled by the Department for Transport (DfT), an investment of £40 million will be earmarked for developing wireless charging systems which will enable EV drivers to charge their vehicles on the road, in car parks, or at the roadside, without having to plug the vehicles. As the wireless charging will be easier, drivers would be more inclined to buy electric vehicles.

As per the plan, which is set out in a strategy published recently, the wireless charging systems will enable the transfer of power directly to the batteries of the EVs via the cables embedded in the roads. The wireless charging systems, will therefore, make the EV charging process faster and more convenient.

The ‘wireless charging system’ plan is essentially targeted at reducing roadside emissions in the UK and encouraging an increasing number of motorists to use ultra-low emission vehicles which, going by 2017 figures, accounted for merely 1.7 percent of new vehicle registrations in the country.

In unveiling the plan, the DfT said that the possibility of embedding EV charging systems beneath motorways is also being mulled by the UK government, to give EV drivers the ability “to power vehicles and top up the battery as they drive.”