The development is called “on-line electric vehicle” (OLEV) and uses electricity from an electrical charging strip placed 5 cm under the road’s surface. The new vehicle was created by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and has replaced the diesel transport trains used in the park.
The OLEV is charged wirelessly while traveling on a 400 meter stretch of electrical strip - this generates a magnetic field which sends its energy to the vehicle, where it is converted into electricity, which is used to power the motor. The amount of energy gained allows the vehicle to travel 400 m using battery power only. The OLEV uses a 2.2 km circular route. The charging system operates using a 13 cm gap between the vehicle and the road.
The principle behind the system has been known for some time now, but the producers have not been able to develop an application that uses it without putting the passengers’ health at risk. However, according to the Seoul authorities, tests have proved that the magnetic field used by the system does not represent a hazard from this point of view, as it uses a technology that provides electricity in sections, thus minimizing the amount of magnetic field generated. The authorities say that the magnetic field generated did not exceed the international safety limit.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to extend the project, by introducing OLEVs in the public transportation system. The city believes that the new system could be the solution to its traffic problems.
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