Down The Road
As a living lab, The Ray is a proving ground for revolutionary innovations and bold, unprecedented ways of thinking. So far on our journey, some ideas that have shaped The Ray the most have come from unlikely people and places.
Smart Studs
Future Vision
Smarter, autonomous, and electric vehicles continue to gain market share year after year. Yet no one seems to expect the road to be just as smart. We disagree. That’s why we’re invented a new technology that allows the road to communicate both to new, connected vehicles and to drivers of “classic cars.” Solar-powered smart road dots illuminate in different colors and patterns to communicate a variety of crucial, basic alerts to drivers and passengers including fog, black ice, upcoming road incidents, and erratic drivers The Ray’s smart road dot prototype was a finalist for Fast Company’s 2018 World Changing Ideas Award.
EV Charging Lanes
Future Vision
Electric vehicle (EV) sales are on the rise, and with that, the need for a robust charging infrastructure.
That’s where EV charging lanes come in. By wiring roads to create an electromagnetic field that transmits energy to a receiver that supplies the car’s battery, drivers could get the power they need while still in motion—no stopping required.
Dynamically charged cars could have smaller, lighter batteries, making electric cars faster and more affordable. Breakthroughs are happening. The Ray has been on a 20-seat EV bus receiving 25 kilowatts from the road while driving more than 50 miles per hour.
In 2018, The Ray became a member of the Sustainable Electrified Transportation (SELECT) Research Center, led by Utah State University. As a member of SELECT, The Ray joins the nation’s leading researchers and experts across sectors, including automotive OEMs, suppliers/manufacturers, civil engineering firms, departments of transportation and academia, in understanding and developing ways in which a fully electrified transportation ecosystem can be strategically and successfully piloted in the near future. These conversations, partnerships, and collaborations, will open doors for The Ray to bring world-leading technologies developed by SELECT members to the East Coast and to The Ray in Georgia for public demonstration, like electric vehicle charging lanes.