Potholes on the road are enough to cause inconvenience to your rides, damage your car or a safety hazard, and it’s also problematic to fix them. Dutch researchers might have a solution that not only helps roads repair itself but also claims to solve the range anxiety for electric car users.
Researchers are planning to test the self-repairing asphalt whose conductive steel fibers and bacteria would both fix small cracks in the pavement and send electricity to EVs above. Also the trial will charge your electric vehicle when the car is stopped at intersections, offering a little extra fuel while you’re waiting for the lights to turn green.
There are several challenges involved in making this work. The healing requires an induction machine that generates enough heat in both the asphalt and the fibers to trigger the repair process.
Apart from the process, the constant decay of the asphalt makes it even expensive and time consuming to maintain. Although the process seems a bit expensive, but it could pay off well for both city infrastructure and drivers.
Delft University's Erik Schlangen believes the new approach would double the lifespan of a road and dramatically reduce maintenance costs, which could improve road quality even on neglected side streets.
It’s unclear when the tests will start, however there have been experiments with self fixing asphalt back in 2010. This vision could turn into reality once all pieces fall into place. The biggest challenge here could be convincing everyone to participate.
