Electreon, a provider of in-road wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging technology for shared, commercial and passenger vehicles, and Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification (ASPIRE), a National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Research Center, are launching a joint demonstration project.
Electreon’s in-motion (dynamic) wireless charging technology will be installed in ASPIRE’s research test track in North Logan, Utah, in summer 2022 to showcase the company’s technology for the first time in North America. The launch of the test bed comes in advance of Electreon’s first deployment on a public road in the U.S. in 2023 in Detroit – a partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), among many others.
The demonstration will consist of 50 meters of dynamic in-road wireless charging hardware installed in Utah State University’s (USU) test track. Corresponding vehicle side charging hardware will be installed on the Kenworth truck, and power management and charging communication systems will also be included.
This site will function as a live demonstration facility for departments of transportation, other government officials, current and potential industry partners, as well as Electreon’s potential and prospective partners and clients to experience Electreon’s in-motion wireless charging as the technology moves to market deployment in the U.S. Electreon will also use this project as a test bed to conduct future vehicle integration programs with automakers.
“So far, Electreon has already demonstrated its dynamic wireless charging technology in four operational pilots across Europe and now we are thrilled to kick off our first U.S.-based deployment with USU’s ASPIRE, displaying the viability of our in-road wireless charging infrastructure,” says Stefan Tongur, vice president business development for Electreon in North America. “We are excited at the prospect of advancing sustainable charging technology in hopes of supporting the U.S. movement toward an all-electric future. This project will allow us to engage with partners and clients to develop pilot and commercial projects in the whole nation and will allow for ongoing testing in advance of U.S. projects on public roadways, including the recently announced project in Detroit.”
This demonstration project collaboration with ASPIRE, in part, aims to validate dynamic wireless charging technology solutions for several upcoming pilot projects that include the Utah Inland Port Authority (Salt Lake City, Utah), the Central Florida Expressway (Orlando, Fla.) and developing projects in several other states.
“ASPIRE is excited to work with Electreon in demonstrating the electrified roadways of tomorrow,” comments Regan Zane, ASPIRE Center’s director. “The groundbreaking work that we are doing here exemplifies our commitment to creating solutions to the issues that are preventing us from electrifying transportation. We believe that our findings will provide the blueprint for the nation’s path to deep electrified vehicle adoption and resulting energy, economic and environmental benefits through low-cost ubiquitous charging infrastructure.”
Electreon and ASPIRE are also partnering on the demonstration project with Kiewit Corp., an engineering and construction companies in North America. Kiewit will provide expert insight into installation and construction processes for electric roads.
“Kiewit is proud to continue our partnership with Electreon and ASPIRE for the deployment of this innovative technology,” says Mike Johnson, Kiewit’s senior vice president of infrastructure markets and strategy. “The ASPIRE demonstration will be essential in understanding construction considerations around installation and maintenance of dynamic and static inductive vehicle charging on public roads.”
The project also includes Kenworth Truck Co., which has delivered a Class 8 Kenworth T680 Classic to USU for the integration with the Electreon system at the test track.
“This collaborative effort offers an excellent opportunity to explore the potential of mobile wireless charging. We will discover the amount of energy actually generated from driving the Kenworth T680 over charging plates at various speeds, and collect data for possible real world on-road testing in the future,” states Ryan Reed, Kenworth’s director of research and development in Renton, Wash.