The loss from trying to inductively charge with a big air gap is a deal killer in this application. The loss of efficiency coupled with the high amount of power that has to be transferred and the huge number of vehicles if ever put into practical use, means it will be a real deal killer.
The repair of roads problem can be addressed by building the road with a good base of gravel and other materials, and using a high grade of cement such as that which is used in bridge construction. It cost more for the high grade cement, but actually over time the increase in the life that the road will last will more than pay for the additional cost increase of the better base to build the road on and the better cement. Bridge cement has more sacks of cement per yard, and additional chemicals that are added to the cement when it is initially mixed to make the cement stronger and more durable. And high quality roads that are designed to last a very long time have a good stable thick base, a high number of steel rebar rods, and the higher quality cement.
I worked for a cement company one summer and ran the equipment that loaded the cement trucks. And while there is a difference between average road cement and bridge cement, generally in the number of sacks of actual cement per yard of cement mix. And different states also have different standards both for the average road cement and bridge cement. I found that out because the cement company I worked for was very near the boarder of two states and sold cement to both states. When you compare the additional cost that the higher quality cement cost to the cost of ripping out a road and replacing it every 8 to 20 years or so, and you realize that if a good base and the higher quality cement had been used in the first place, the road would most likely last several times as long, you start to realize that the save a buck now building attitude often results in the spend twenty to a hundred for every buck saved now, a decade or two down the line. The only real advantage to using cheap cement that I see is it keeps a lot of people employed rebuilding roads that could of lasted many many times longer. And not using higher quality cement means putting up with more sub-standard roads in general, more ware and tear on the vehicles, and the inconvenience when the road is replaced. And something that the general public is not aware of but people with bad backs are aware of, is that the jolts to the back from a bumpy bad road cause additional aggravating of back pain.
