Florida is moving ahead with a real-world test of something that has long sounded like science fiction: a road that charges electric vehicles as they drive over it. The Central Florida Expressway Authority plans to embed wireless charging technology directly into a new highway under construction in Central Florida.
The pilot will be installed on State Road 516, a 4.4-mile expressway that is still being built. Around three-quarters of a mile of one travel lane will include inductive charging coils beneath the asphalt, with installation scheduled to begin in June 2026.
The system is designed to deliver up to 200kW of power to compatible vehicles while they are in motion. EVs equipped with the correct receiver hardware can pick up energy from a magnetic field generated by the road surface, allowing them to recharge without stopping or plugging in. The goal is not to fully recharge batteries, but to maintain or extend range during normal highway driving.
Wireless road charging has been tested before, but mostly in short demonstration tracks or low-speed environments. Florida's project stands out because it targets real highway speeds and live traffic conditions, rather than a controlled test facility. If it performs as intended, it could address several persistent EV concerns at once: range anxiety, charging downtime, and congestion around fast chargers on busy routes.
There are significant limitations. Only vehicles fitted with compatible receiving hardware will be able to use the system, which means most EVs on US roads today will not benefit. Standards, interoperability, and retrofitting costs remain unresolved, and it is not clear how quickly automakers would adopt support even if the pilot proves successful.
The wireless charging lane is only one part of a much larger infrastructure project. The broader expressway carries a price tag exceeding $500 million and is expected to be completed by 2029. Plans also include solar panels to support road infrastructure, wildlife crossings, and shared-use paths, positioning the route as a showcase for future transportation design.
For now, the charging lane is a pilot, not a promise. It will test whether dynamic wireless charging can survive daily wear, weather, and traffic while delivering consistent power. Even if it remains limited in scope, the project signals how aggressively states are experimenting with new approaches to EV infrastructure. Roads that actively supply energy are no longer theoretical; in Florida, they are being built into the pavement.
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