INDEX Award Winner: Life-Saving “Smart” Highways Can Charge Electric Vehicles on the Go

Our cars are getting smarter every day--but can we say the same about our roads? Dutch designer <a href="http://www.studioroosegaarde.net/" target="_blank">Daan Roosegaarde</a> believes there is a wealth of untapped energy and potential right beneath our wheels. Winner in the prestigious <a href="http://designtoimprovelife.dk/" target="_blank">INDEX: Award 2013</a> Community Category, Roosegaarde's ‘Smart Highway’ concept modernizes European roadways into interactive experiences that pave the way towards environmental sustainability and greater public safety.

Smart Highways could charge electric cars on the go.

Smart Highway aims to retrofit highways with innovative technology that visually communicate dangerous road conditions and traffic pattern disruptions.

Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde believes there is a wealth of untapped energy and potential right beneath our feet.

Additional smart sensors would also cut down on energy use, such as wind- or motion-activated lights.

Using glow-in-the-dark paint treated with photo-luminizing powder, these roadway strips recharge by daylight and can illuminate roads for up to ten hours at night, reducing the need for auxiliary lighting.

The embedded technology integrates aesthetic appeal with functionality, adding a layer of beauty that's often passed over in highway design.