In a first for North America, Detroit has cut the ribbon on a section of roadway that has wireless EV charging technology under the asphalt. Yes, that means you can charge your vehicle while you’re driving.
It’s only a quarter mile (0.4 km) in length, but the street – part of 14th Street located in the Michigan Central innovation district – is a test bed for magnetic resonance induction technology, which uses a coil of copper wire below the surface of the street to transfer low amounts of electricity – between 10 and 15 kilowatts – through a magnetic field to EVs passing overhead.
Electreon’s wireless charging technology on 14th Street in Detroit is based on inductive coupling between copper coils installed below the road surface, pictured, with EVs carrying receivers to accept the charge.
The electric road is safe for drivers, pedestrians and wildlife. Each coil in the road is activated only when an EV with a receiver passes over the coil. This ensures that energy transfer is controlled and provided only to vehicles that require it.
The Israeli company Electreon is behind the project, and it’s also involved in similar initiatives in Israel, Sweden, Italy, and Germany. In 2024, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will begin seeking bids to rebuild part of US-12 (Michigan Avenue) to include more inductive charging infrastructure.
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