OLEV

The OLEV, which stands for on-line electric vehicle, is an electric vehicle developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Technology. It's specificity is that it is powered using contactless electromagnetic induction strips that are scattered and buried 30 centimetres under the roadway.

Operation of the OLEV engine

This type of vehicle is therefore half way between the electric vehicle and a tramway with a ground-level power supply.

In fact, the OLEV operates using an electric engine and batteries that recharge by induction when the vehicle passes over parts of the road equipped with electromagnetic strips. These strips only need to be present on 20% of the distance covered in order to ensure sufficient power for travel.

Advantages of the OLEV

OLEV technology has the advantages of an autonomous electric vehicle (flexibility and independence) and the advantages of a vehicle with continuous power supply (autonomy and availability), without requiring heavy infrastructure. In the long term this technology could be used to power public transport as well as personal vehicles in a city, without overwhelming it with ubiquitous rails and catenaries.