Abstract The adjustment of energy supply for roadway transportation from traditional fossil-dominated energy to sustainable energy is vital for maintaining energy security and constructing a smart and environment-friendly city. Energy harvesting technology as one of the most promising techniques for renewable energy supply was developed in roadway successfully. However, some limitations still exist to be investigated further, including relatively low energy output, poor compatibility with whole structure, long-term durability. We present a comprehensive analysis of this technology to understand the state-of-the-art progress and required future works for energy harvesting technologies in roadway transportation. Two types of energy harvesting technologies for roadway transportation are categorized and reviewed in this paper, namely energy harvesting from the road and from vehicles. The principles, research focus and applications, existing problems, and further suggestions for each energy harvesting technology are elaborated in detail. In addition, the different energy harvesting technologies are compared in terms of energy output, cost, cost-benefit ratio, and technology readiness level to demonstrate the most probable applications. Moreover, future works on energy harvesting technologies are recommended. According to the current energy output, the most probable future applications are PV cell for driving, mechanical energy for sensors, SC system and GEH for special situations. Multiple-technology hybridization and multifunctionality materials, local condition-based and demand-oriented design and overall coordination are three directions should be focused in the future.