New eco-friendly trolley and rechargeable road draw people to a Seoul, South Korean park like magnets!


Image: csmonitor

The Seoul Grand Park Zoo in South Korea has just unveiled a new trolley called the OLEV (Online Electric Vehicle). The greenest aspect about this trolley is not the bright green paint on the head car. It’s also not the fact that the entire trolley is a recycled kiddy ride. This eco-friendly vehicle consumes zero fuel and doesn’t need any overheard wires or cables. That’s because it’s powered a battery that is electrically charged by magnets, and these magnets are buried beneath the road!

This amazing trolley, whose battery is only one-fifth the size of a conventional electric vehicle battery, was designed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). How does it work? Over 400 meters of magnetic charging strips are buried beneath the ground of the park. These strips magically send electric charges to the trolley’s battery, which in return powers the vehicle to move up to 40 miles per hour. The magnetic field is so strong that the entire trolley, including the wheels, has to rest at least 7 inches above the ground. This makes for both a noise-free and very green ride.


Image: hanapolis

Although the OLEV is only a prototype, the KAIST hopes that more industries will invest in it. Seoul is already considering using the system on bus routes throughout the city. Do you think this a good green alternative to gas-guzzling vehicles?