Smart highways and smart roads are highways and roads that incorporate electronic technologies. They are used to improve the operation of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), for traffic lights and street lighting, and for monitoring the condition of the road, as well as traffic levels and the speed of vehicles. Intelligent transportation systems Intelligent transportation systems usually refer to the use of information and communication technologies (rather than innovations in the construction of the roadway) in the field of road transport, infrastructure, vehicles, and users, and in traffic management and mobility management, as well as for interfaces with other modes of transportation. Vehicle infrastructure integration Structural health monitoring Solar road panels Purpose The principal idea of solar road panels is to utilize the space occupied by the roads to generate electricity via photovoltaic panels installed in place of a conventional concrete or asphalt road surface. Other functions for solar road panels have since then been proposed. One proposition is its use to power LED lights for creating dynamic road markings, such as lane markings, or warning messages such as “Reduce Speed” signs. Another function that has been proposed is using it to power heating elements that produce sufficient energy to clear ice and snow from roadways. It has also been suggested that they could power wireless charging technology to recharge the batteries of electric vehicles that drive over the panels. Criticism Critics have highlighted that solar roadways would be more expensive, due to the cost of panels and the required extensive maintenance associated. Furthermore, they have argued they are less productive than more conventional forms of solar power infrastructure, as the panels cannot be angled towards the sun, requiring thicker glass to withstand the weight of traffic and lack of cooling of the panels. Failure An experimental 1-kilometer road in France called Wattway, the longest solar road in the world, inaugurated in December 2016 by Segolene Royal, the Minister of the Environment, fell apart by August 2018. Described as a fiasco by Le Monde, it produced half of the electricity expected, created bothersome noises from traffic, and deteriorated substantially over two years. Vehicle charging Conductive Electric road technologies which power and charge electric vehicles while driving were assessed in Sweden from 2013. The assessment was scheduled to conclude in 2022. The first standard for electrical equipment on-board a vehicle powered by a rail electric road system (ERS), CENELEC Technical Standard