Electreon announced a partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation to establish a wireless charging demonstration project that will include a 1-mile stretch of road to recharge EVs while they drive.
The Michigan Project is expected to be launched next year in Detroit at the site of Ford’s central transportation innovation district, and will provide infrastructure that can wirelessly charge EVs while they are in motion or stationary.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Witmer said the wireless charging project is an important component in electrifying vehicle fleets.
“As we aim to lead the future of mobility and electrification by boosting electric vehicle production and lowering consumer costs, a wireless in-road charging system is the next piece to the puzzle for sustainability.”
The midwestern state will provide $1.9 million in funding for the Michigan Project, which is being carried out in collaboration with the Ford Automotive Company, DTE, a local energy company that will provide a connection to the electricity grid for the electric road, and ROUSH CleanTech, which converts commercial vehicles into EVs, and will provide an electric truck for the project.
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“Hosting the first wireless charging road system in the U.S. as part of the open platform we are providing at Michigan Central will serve as a magnet to attract innovators to test on this nationally significant asset, and also show people the value electrification can create,” said Carolina Pluszczynski, Michigan Central development director.
Electreon, based in Israel, has similar pilot projects already operating in Germany, Italy, and Sweden—and is currently preparing to provide a wireless charging network in Israel for 200 public buses in Tel Aviv.
The company’s inductive in-road charging technology was adopted last year by the “Arena of the Future” project near Milan, in Brescia, Italy, with Electreon integrating its wireless technology to charge two Stellantis vehicles, and an IVECO bus while driving.
Last October, the first fully-operational bus to use Electreon’s charging technology launched in the city of Visby in Gotland, Sweden, which is helping the nation reach its target of installing 2,000 km of electric highways by 2030.
“Electreon’s wireless technology works excellently with our electric vehicles and we are now ready to mass produce vehicles with the new technology,” said a spokesperson for the Higer bus company.
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