AUTONEWS

City of Detroit to open road that provides wireless charging for electrified vehicles

The piggy bank of unusual worldwide transportation solutions will soon be replenished by an American project. Next year, Detroit will open a highway that provides wireless charging for electric vehicles. In the future, the system could be useful for dedicated bus lanes or for areas where traffic jams often occur and cars are parked for a long time.

Israeli company Electreon is responsible for implementing the project, which is expected to complete construction as early as 2023. The test road will only be one mile (about 1.6 km) long. It is known that the load induction coils connected to the mains will be located under the road. To receive power, electric vehicles will need a special receiver – by analogy with smartphones. The system will not work without an active receiving device within range and will be safe for others. It will receive a modular design and, if the road is damaged, the work will not stop – each coil is connected to the grid in parallel.

The amount of energy an electric car will receive will depend on the design of the car itself and how fast it is moving. Of course, the road won't be able to fully charge the battery, especially over such a short distance, but it's capable of delivering a little bit of power, enough to get to the nearest charging station.

Image source: Electreon