Electreon in Israel, a leading provider of wireless and in-road wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging technology, today announced it will deploy its first public wireless EV charging road system in the U.S. at Michigan Central Station, Ford Motor Co.’s mobility innovation district now under development west of Detroit’s Corktown district.
The company won the RFP to build an Electric Road System (ERS) in Detroit as part of an inductive vehicle charging pilot program in partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, and Michigan Economic Development Corp.
The wireless charging infrastructure, which will be implemented in the Michigan Central district in the coming months, will support a suite of use cases involving various vehicle types and partners, including autonomous vehicles.
The news follows Electreon’s recent official entrance into the U.S. market with the opening of the company’s Los Angeles office and addition of Corey Johnson, former speaker of the New York City Council, as a strategic consultant 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,” says Stefan Tongur, vice president of business development for Electreon in the U.S. “Michigan’s automotive industry roots built a foundation for mobility innovation and we’re thrilled to join this community of experts.
“We are looking forward to collaborating with departments of transportation, state and municipal agencies, and automotive and mobility industry innovators in Michigan, California, and New York on charging infrastructure that’s vehicle agnostic and can be included in any electric vehicle. Our technology has the potential to support electric fleets of all types from public transit buses to delivery vans and long-haul trucks for logistics.”
Electreon will lead the design, evaluation, iteration, testing, and implementation of the pilot program, which seeks to be operational by 2023. The project is currently slated for a stretch of road up to one-mile long in Detroit and will include dynamic and stationary wireless EV charging.
The project will be hosted by and live within the Michigan Central district, which includes the renovation of the former train station, the neighboring Book Depository building, The Factory (already renovated and home to more than 220 Ford mobility-related employees), and surrounding infrastructure. In addition, program will be supported by Next Energy, Ford Motor Co., DTE, Jacobs Engineering Group, and the city of Detroit.
“Hosting the first wireless charging road system in the U.S. as part of the open platform we are providing at Michigan Central will serve as a magnet to attract innovators to test on this nationally significant asset joining in the work with Electreon, Next Energy, and many others, and also show people the value electrification can create,” says Carolina Pluszczynski, Michigan Central development director. “We are excited to actively work with Electreon and source pilot opportunities with such innovators to leverage the open wireless charging system.”
Electreon’s charging infrastructure, which can wirelessly charge EVs while in-motion and stationary, is one of the first in the world to be successfully demonstrated on public roads. The company is actively operating pilots in Germany, Italy, and Sweden, and is preparing to execute a recently signed commercial deal to provide a “plug free” charging network for 200 public buses in Tel Aviv, Israel.
“Here in Michigan, embracing bold innovations that transform the future of mobility and electrification is a part of our DNA,” says Trevor Pawl, Michigan’s chief mobility officer. “We are thrilled to see how Electreon’s proposals become a nationwide model for how we can continue accelerating electric vehicle adoption and usher in a new generation of transportation technologies.”
Electreon’s wireless charging solutions for electric vehicles (EVs) provide end-to-end charging infrastructure and services to meet the needs and efficiency demands of shared, public, and commercial fleet operators and consumers.
“It is a privilege to be working with the state of Michigan to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles in the Motor City,” says Oren Ezer, CEO of Electreon. “This is a monumental step toward expanding our U.S. presence and team, and it’s exciting to start in the birthplace of the modern automobile industry. We plan to build on Electreon’s proven track record of success globally, and demonstrate its ability to help the U.S. realize its electrification and emissions reduction goals.”
The company’s proprietary inductive technology dynamically (while in motion) and statically (while stopped) charges EVs quickly and safely, eliminating range anxiety, lowering total costs of EV ownership, and reducing battery capacity needs.
Electreon works with cities and fleet operators on a charging as a service (CaaS) platform that enables cost-effective electrification of public, commercial, and autonomous fleets for smooth and continuous operation.
For more information, visit electreon.com.
To read more about the emerging vision of Michigan Central in DBusiness magazine, visit here.
