On October 5, Honda R&D announced that, together with Taisei Corporation
and Taisei Rotec, it has developed the foundational technology
for a magnetic field coupling wireless power transfer road system
that supplies power to moving electric vehicles (EVs) without physical contact.
With application to heavy commercial vehicles in view,
the companies have verified not only the power supply equipment
but also road pavement structures and construction and renewal methods.
They plan to take part in public road trials on the Tateyama Expressway
from fiscal 2027 onward.
Combining Road-Side Power Supply Units with Vehicle-Side Receivers
Dynamic wireless power transfer is a technology that transmits power
from supply units embedded in the road to receiver units mounted on vehicles.
According to Honda’s technical explainer, this system exchanges power
through a magnetic field between coils on the road side and the vehicle side.
It supplies power while the vehicle is moving,
without connecting it by cable.
In the joint development, Honda R&D is responsible
for the road-side power supply system and the vehicle-side system,
Taisei Corporation for the DC power supply system,
and Taisei Rotec for road construction methods.
The three companies began joint research in 2025
and say they have confirmed the effectiveness of the power supply system,
pavement structure, and construction and renewal methods
on a Taisei Group test road.
What Changes: Reducing the Burden of Charging and Road Work
By supplying power while vehicles are moving,
Honda aims to reduce how often EVs need charging at home or at charging stations,
improving their convenience.
It aims first for practical use in logistics and transportation,
where it expects the benefits of adoption to be greatest.
For road installation, the system integrates an inverter and coil
into each power supply unit and connects the units with DC wiring.
Honda says this integration is a world first
for a dynamic wireless power transfer unit
(as of the end of September 2026, according to the company’s research).
According to the company, compared with the common configuration
in which individual AC wires run from a ground-level inverter to each unit,
this approach simplifies the wiring that must be buried.
The design reduces components and construction work
and also anticipates future pavement renewal.
Verifying Heavy Vehicle Loads and High-Power Supply in Stages
In this development, the companies verified power supply units
and pavement structures able to withstand heavy vehicles
with a gross vehicle weight of around 20 tons.
From the end of 2026, they plan to build a separate test track
to evaluate long-term durability, power supply performance during driving,
and measures against leakage of electromagnetic fields.
After that, they plan to verify performance at high power of up to 150 kW,
with heavy commercial vehicles in view,
as well as reliability at high driving speeds.
Honda’s technical explainer describes 150 kW
as the instantaneous peak output per road-side power supply unit.
It is not a figure for the power a vehicle receives continuously while driving.
The three companies will participate in the Tateyama Project,
which East Nippon Expressway Company (NEXCO East) will conduct
on the Tateyama Expressway from fiscal 2027 onward.
This announcement concerns the development of foundational technology;
it does not announce the start of expressway trials or general use.
LC Signal’s Perspective: Developing Vehicles and Roads Together
The joint research covers not only power supply performance
but also pavement that withstands heavy vehicle loads,
embedding the equipment, and methods for renewing roads and facilities.
It is concrete in combining automotive technology
with the work involved in rebuilding roads across the three companies.
Honda also takes part in international standardization,
aiming for a system in which other manufacturers’ EVs
can receive power from the same roads when they follow the standards,
and Honda’s receiver units can receive power from other companies’ supply units.
Rather than being limited to one manufacturer’s vehicles,
the system is envisioned as shared road infrastructure.
Honda aims first for practical use in logistics and transportation,
with durability evaluation on a test track and trials on the Tateyama Expressway
planned as next steps.
How will a system that supplies power while driving
fit into heavy commercial vehicle operations and road maintenance?
The effort appears to be moving toward practical use
from both the vehicle and infrastructure sides.
Key Sources
-
Honda official announcement (Japanese), October 5, 2026:
EVへの走行中無線給電の実現に向け、大型商用車にも対応する基盤技術を開発
-
Honda official technical explainer (Japanese), October 5, 2026:
Hondaが研究する「走行中無線給電」の強み
This article was prepared with AI assistance using publicly available information
as of October 6, 2026.
The effects of the technology, verification results,
and the “world first” claim are based on the companies’ descriptions.
Future performance verification, public road trials, and practical use goals
are distinguished from completed tests and general availability.
“LC Signal’s Perspective” reflects this publication’s interpretation
of the available information.