America’s first public wireless electric car charging road has been built in Detroit – even though it’s not open to the public just yet.
The project was announced in February 2022 by Electreon, which is responsible for the build.
Electreon is based in Israel and responsible for similar projects in France, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Israel, Norway and China.
Its latest is a 1.61km wireless “electric road system” in downtown Detroit, United States. The project is North America’s first public charging road.
The road can charge electric car batteries using a magnic field as the vehicle travels. It will also offer static charging stations along the strip.
According to the City of Detroit’s X (formerly known as Twitter) post, the road has “inductive coupling between copper coils installed below the road surface and receivers installed on electric vehicles”.
Detroit has the nation’s first wireless electrified roadway!
Using technology from Electreon, coils installed underneath the pavement will allow electric vehicles with an approved receiver to be charged as it drives on the road (dynamic charging). pic.twitter.com/SXJg2o8agY
— City of Detroit (@CityofDetroit) November 30, 2023
“When a car with a receiver nears the charging segments of road transfer electricity wirelessly through a magnetic field. This electricity is then transferred as energy to the vehicle’s battery, charging it.
“These charging segments can transfer wireless electricity to the receiver either when the vehicle is parked (static charging) or is driving in-motion (dynamic charging). The electric road is safe for drivers, pedestrians and wildlife. “
According to the City of Detroit, the road is “safe for drivers, pedestrians, and wildlife”.
The strip is located on 14th Street between Marantette and Dalzelle streets. The strip is closed to the public for testing for the next few years to “perfect the technology”.
The City of Detroit confirmed a Ford e-Transit will be used to “test the efficiency and operations of the shuttle, and potential long-term public transportation opportunities”.
It claims the technology will make its way onto other roads in the future.
“Alongside Michigan’s automotive expertise, we’ll demonstrate how wireless charging unlocks widespread EV adoption, addressing limited range, grid limitations, and battery size and costs. This project paves the way for a zero-emission mobility future, where EVs are the norm, not the exception,” said Electreon’s vice president of business development, Dr Stefan Tongur.
The project is understood to have included the likes of Ford, Jacobs, and state and local councils among others.
While some of Electreon’s projects within Europe are designed to charge electric buses and trucks, some highways in the Lombardy region in Italy and Cologne, Germany offer the technology to everyday vehicles.
The company’s website says it’s “dedicated to developing a convenient technology that eliminates range anxiety while minimizing EV battery and electric grid impacts as a means of achieving net-zero transport emissions without over-exploiting our finite planetary resources.”
