Will electric vehicle charging roads become a reality?

The new electric roads will allow you to charge your electric vehicle while driving or even standing still and bring several benefits for both companies and the environment.

According to Electreon, electric vehicles (EVs) will soon be able to charge their batteries while driving. This is the primary goal of the Israeli startup, which presented its most recent development in electrification: roads that charge the batteries of EVs whether they are moving or stopped.

One of the goals of implementing the new electric roads is to reduce the size of EV batteries, make them lighter and more efficient, and lower the environmental impact of battery manufacturing. With this new solution, electric vehicles are charged wirelessly using copper coils placed in the asphalt, which transfers power from the electric grid to the road. It works similarly to a wireless smartphone charger.
 

By September 2020, Electreon has already partnered with the city of Tel Aviv and the Dan Bus Company to introduce Israel's first public wireless Electric Road System (wERS). The aim is to ensure the charging of 200 Dan Bus Company buses, one of the country's major public transportation companies.

Benefits of Wireless Electric Road Systems

• No fuel costs;
• Emission reduction;
• Increased operational hours;
• Cost-effective solution;
• Reduction of road congestion and pollution;
• Accelerate electric vehicle adoption by companies.

Moreover, the Israeli startup plans to expand its electric vehicle charging roads to the United States and the Scandinavian market. To do so, Electreon is already in agreement with the Michigan State Department of Transportation to build an experimental wireless charging road in Detroit, about a mile long. This will be the first EV charging road available to the public in the United States and part of the regular road network near Michigan's historic Central Station. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2023. 

To enter the Finnish market, the startup established a partnership with Destia, one of the largest providers of charging infrastructure services for electric vehicles in Finland. This cooperation aims to develop commercial wireless charging projects where Electreon's charging system and associated operation and maintenance services can be offered as a "Charging as a Service" solution.