The first road with induction charging for electric cars

The US will soon have the first road with induction charging for electric cars: charge the battery while driving. A strange feeling when you drive and energy supplies increase will be felt by Michigan residents next year.

Michigan State Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced the construction of the country’s first road with remote electric car charging. The state government has signed an agreement with Israeli start-up ElectReon. Which will install charging equipment on the 1.6 km road, and regulators will allocate 1.9 million. dollar funding. The first stretch will be built in the suburbs of Detroit, and if all goes well. The experience could be extended to other state roads, PCMag writes.

“We aim to be at the forefront of the future of mobility and electrification by increasing the production of electric cars and reducing consumer costs. “Wireless charging on the go is another part of the sustainability puzzle,” said Whitmer.

Copper coil DWPT platform

At the heart of ElectReon technology is a copper coil DWPT platform. Similar to that used in cordless phone chargers, only much larger. These coils are mounted under simple asphalt and transmit energy on the principle of magnetic induction – when the electric car passes over the charger. The battery pack with the receiver automatically starts charging. In the ElectReon system, the DWPT control unit must be on the side and the receiver must be on the connecting vehicle chassis.

Applying such loading to private cars can be difficult – each machine would have to be adapted to the starter technology. Therefore, the developers believe that it will be enough to provide the service to public transport first. ElectReon, together with the government, plans to make buses greener, and at the same time speed up the transport of city services. As electric buses will have to return to recharge less often.

“Electrified roads can speed up the installation of electric vehicles for both consumers and bus fleets. “They will ensure the uninterrupted operation of vehicles and turn the streets into safe and sustainable energy platforms,” ​​the governor of Michigan added.

Companies that contribute to the project

At the initiative of the state, several other companies are working on ElectReon. Including Ford, DTE Energy, NextEnergy, and Jacobs Engineering Group. American suppliers will provide starter equipment, submit electric vehicles for testing, and support pilot testing. The first U.S. boot road is scheduled to open in the first half of 2023.

Over the past three years, ElectReon has implemented several similar projects in Israel, Sweden, Germany, and Italy. During a test in Tel Aviv, the starter charged the Renault Zoe with 8.5 kW of power – the company said the process efficiency was 91%. Engineers noted that 8.5 kW is not the limit and DWPT power will increase to 15 kW in the future.