Honda wants to charge your EV while you drive. Not at a stall, not in your garage overnight, but in motion at highway speeds, via induction coils buried in the pavement. On-road demonstration testing is slated to begin April 1, 2027, on a purpose-built road in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture.
This idea isn’t new, and the graveyard is instructive. Qualcomm pushed a version it called “Halo,” demonstrating prototype EVs juicing up as they rolled over an expensive stretch of induction-laced road in France back in 2017. Two years later, Qualcomm gave up and sold off the project. Formula E, which Qualcomm once eyed for in-motion charging, still relies on stationary charging.
Honda picked up where Qualcomm left off, and it isn’t going it alone. The automaker has partnered with Taisei Corp. and Taisei Rotec Corp. on what the trio calls a “magnetic coupling wireless power transfer road system.”
Honda handles the receiver and transmitter units, built for high power density and compatible with DC distribution. Taisei supplies the high-response DC power system. Taisei Rotec sinks the hardware into the road. The three say they’ve “verified the effectiveness of their technologies,” according to Honda, hitting power output of up to 150 kW.
Here’s where the enthusiasm meets reality. Honda isn’t saying how much range a moving EV could actually absorb, how many miles of coil-laden road it would take to add meaningful charge, or what any of it costs.
The research dates to 2021 and, per Honda, feeds the automaker’s stated goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Logistics and transportation come first. Before any of that, Honda says it still needs to stop stray magnetic fields from escaping and toughen the buried units enough to survive 20-ton trucks rolling over them.
Nobody’s promising a 10-to-80 pass. Honda frames this as a way to reduce how often you charge at home or a public station, not replace it. Honda will showcase the technology at the Japan Mobility Show Bizweek (Oct. 13-16 in Chiba) and the ITS World Congress 2026 (Oct. 19-23 in South Korea).
[Images: Chevrolet]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
