DETROIT (AP) — Crews have installed what’s billed as the nation’s first wireless-charging public roadway for electric vehicles beneath a street just west of downtown Detroit.
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Copper inductive charging coils allow vehicles equipped with receivers to charge up their batteries while driving, idling or parking above the coils.
The quarter-mile segment of 14th Street will be used to test and perfect the technology ahead of making it available to the public within a few years, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Demonstrations were held Wednesday at Michigan Central innovation district, a hub for advancing technologies and programs that address barriers to mobility. The district also is where Ford Motor Co. is restoring the old Michigan Central train station to develop self-driving vehicles.
The technology belongs to Electreon, an Israel-based developer of wireless charging solutions for electric vehicles. The company has contracts for similar roadways in Israel, Sweden, Italy and Germany. The pilot initiative in Michigan was announced in 2021 by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“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,” said Stefan Tongur, Electreon vice president of business development. “This project paves the way for a zero-emission mobility future, where EVs are the norm, not the exception.”
When a vehicle with a receiver nears the charging segments, the coils beneath the road transfer electricity through a magnetic field, charging the vehicle’s battery. The coils only activate when a vehicle with a receiver passes over them.
Tongur told reporters the roadway is safe for pedestrians, motorists and animals.
The state Department of Transportation and Electreon made a five-year commitment to develop the electric road system. The DOT is expected to seek bids to rebuild part of busy Michigan Avenue, where inductive charging will also be installed.
As electric vehicles increase in popularity in the United States, the Biden administration has made its plan for half a million EV charging stations a signature piece of its infrastructure goals.
The wireless-charging roadway helps puts Michigan and Detroit at the forefront of electric vehicle technology, officials said.
“In Michigan, we want to stay ahead of the curve. We want to lead the curve,” Michigan DOT Director Bradley C. Wieferich said.
No decisions have been made on revenue models in Michigan, Tongur said.
“The technology is smart,” he said. “The technology knows who you are — you’re a verified and authentic user — you can get a charge.”
Hmm. Electric Avenue – not good though at all, as electric radiation disturbs biological functions. Electric cars are also the worst – exposing their occupants to much more EMFs than combustion-powered vehicles, even newer ones with a plethory of wireless functions. They’re also much more dense and more dangerous in collisions – and if they catch fire, take much longer to extinguish. They also use excessive amounts of rare earth elements to produce and are anything but ecologically friendly.
“half a million ev charging stations” sounds great, until you realize that that’s about one for every 700 people, or one for every 600 motor vehicles. and unlike gas stations, you can’t fill up an ev in 5 minutes. so book your (monthly?) appointment early!
Notice how there’s not a word in the article about paying for it. Clearly, the ultimate cost to consumers will not be cheaper than gasoline, which is the main attraction of EVs in the first place. Not to mention that some form of electrical generation will be necessary to power these charging streets, which they will not be able to do without fossil fuels [as has been demonstrated over and over where cities who push wind and solar for their power grids are ultimately suffering from “rolling blackouts”, and/or switching back to coal (like many European cities)], so the gain to the “environment” is questionable anyway…
If we reverse the polarity of the underground cables, will everyone go backwards?