There’s an almost endless list of reasons why potholes pop up on roads. Unfortunately potholes and cracks are an inevitable problem with asphalt roads. Dutch researchers have created a solution, self repairing asphalt. Not only will the asphalt heal itself but it will charge your electric car as you drive over it too.
How does it work?
The asphalt is made with steel fibers and bacteria that send electricity to the EVs above. This will charge your electric car while you’re stopped at intersections to give the driver a bit of extra range. With enough EV chargers, it could reduce the need for dedicated charging stations for electric cars.
The healing bacteria requires an induction machine that creates enough heat in both the asphalt and the fibers to trigger the repairing process. The steel rods used in the asphalt are to conduct the electricity for the wireless charging systems.
Erik Schlangen from Delft University, estimates that this new kind of road will cost about 25% more than the typical asphalt road, even if the cost of the additional equipment is discounted. The payoff would be worth the initial cost though.
Typical asphalt is in need of constant repairing. Every summer there’s new jobs just to repair the same road they did the year before. This new kind of asphalt will double the lifespan of any road and could drastically reduce maintenance costs.
Self Healing Asphalt has the potential to:
- Increase lifespan of roads
- Eliminate the need for road maintenance
- Decrease premature ageing
- Reduce the amount of natural resources used to maintain road networks
- Decrease traffic disruption caused by road maintenance
- Decrease CO2 emissions during road maintenance