Detroit Starts Testing Wireless EV-Charging Technology

Detroit has begun testing wireless electric-vehicle charging technology in what is reportedly the first public wireless EV-charging roadway project in the country. Crews installed copper inductive charging coils underneath a quarter-mile segment of 14th Street between Marantette and Dalzelle Streets near Michigan Central.

The Michigan Transportation department says the quarter-mile segment will act as a test drive for the wireless charging technology before it is rolled out to the general public. Wireless EV charging is a relatively recent invention that bypasses wired charging infrastructure to deliver energy directly from chargers to EV batteries.

While the technology has already been deployed in consumer electronics such as mobile phones and laptops, researchers are still working to make it applicable to electric vehicles. Wireless EV charging would allow drivers in electric cars equipped with receivers to bypass many of the pitfalls associated with wired charging.

Rather than stopping at charging stations and waiting up to an hour to recharge their cars, electric-vehicle drivers can simply drive over roads with wireless charging technology and their cars will recharge while they travel. The technology installed on the section of Detroit road was developed by Electreon, an Israeli company that develops wireless charging solutions for the nascent electric-vehicle sector.

The company demonstrated the technology’s capability at the Michigan Central Innovation District last week. Stefan Tongur, Electreon’s VP in charge of business development, said that the company would show how wireless technology can facilitate “widespread EV adoption” by addressing critical issues such as range anxiety, electricity grid limitations, and electric vehicle battery cost and size.

Tongur said that the wireless charging project will pave the way for the development of a “zero-emission future for mobility,” where electric vehicles are the normal mode of vehicular transportation rather than the exception. Electreon’s Michigan project was announced by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2021, and the Israeli company has similar contracts with Germany, Sweden, Italy and home nation Israel.

However, it will be a while before wireless charging is the primary mode of recharging for most EV drivers. The technology requires that EVs have compatible receivers that allow them to activate the charging coils installed beneath the road and take in electricity. While some modern electric vehicle models are equipped with the necessary technology, the vast majority of EVs on the road do not have wireless-charging capabilities.

Even so, Electreon and the Michigan Department of Transportation have entered a five-year pact to develop the technology. The state DOT is also expected to rebuild parts of Michigan Avenue and equip the rebuilt stretches with inductive charging technology.

When wireless EV charging technology becomes widely available after the different pilot projects yield positive results, manufacturers such as ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp. Ltd. (NASDAQ: SOLO) would likely equip their models with the needed equipment to be able to charge wirelessly while motorists are on the go.

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