Electreon to build inductive test track in the USA
Electreon, an Israeli company specialising in inductive charging of electric vehicles, has announced its first project in the USA. This envisages a section of road up to one mile long in Detroit where electric vehicles will be dynamically and stationarily charged wirelessly. Operations are scheduled to begin in 2023.
Electreon was awarded the contract to build an Electric Road System (ERS) in Detroit as part of a pilot inductive vehicle charging programme unveiled by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in September last year. Electreon will work with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC).
The Israeli company will lead the design and evaluation, testing and implementation of the pilot programme, among other tasks, according to a press release. The project is currently planned for a section of road up to one mile long in Detroit and will include dynamic and stationary wireless charging stations for different types of electric vehicles. Autonomous vehicles are also to be included.
The US market is new territory for Electreon. Earlier this month, the company reportedly opened an office in Los Angeles and hired Corey Johnson, former spokesperson for the New York City Council, as strategic advisor for the New York region. “We are excited to enter the U.S. market and collaborate with industry leaders to further enhance the country’s mobility ecosystem,” said Stefan Tongur, vice president of business development for Electreon in the US.
Electreon brings plenty of hands-on experience to the US project. In October 2021, the company signed a five-year contract in Israel with Dan Bus Company. The contract provides for an expansion of the wireless charging network for public electric bus routes in Tel Aviv and the wider area.
In Italy, Electreon has just completed the construction of an inductive test track as part of the Arena of the Future project. On the test track in Brescia, which was built in cooperation with Stellantis, Iveco, the Italian road operator A35 Brebemi-Aleatica and other partners, an Iveco bus and a Fiat 500 will be charged while driving during the demonstration phase. For this purpose, charging coils from Electreon were embedded in the road surface of the 1,050-metre-long track, which will be supplied with a total of 1 MW of electrical power. The Israeli company is also active in Sweden.
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