We Have a Surplus of Roads!
Electreon is a company with one goal in mind, and they describe it as such:
To put it in simple terms, they are a company looking to provide fixed and mobile wireless charging options to combat the consumer’s biggest fear of adopting an electric vehicle. This fear of not having enough range supplied by a battery before it runs out of power, along with the shortage of available chargers, can all be solved with wireless Electric Road Systems (wERS).
So what are (wERS)? These are easy-to-deploy unique copper coils placed just below the road's surface. Expanding the possibilities, they can also be placed along highways, at bus stations, parking lots, and logistics centers. These coils are covered with asphalt, and the Electric Road is ready to begin charging EVs.
The key to wireless charging is installing a receiver on the vehicle of choice. The coils will transfer energy to the installed receiver through magnetic resonance induction. This process is very similar to the electric toothbrushes we consumers have at home. There is no fear of electrocution as only those vehicles affixed with the receiver (pictured below) are the only objects that will accept a wireless charge.
Electreon hopes to convert “dead time,” or time in which your car isn’t moving, into useful charging time. These “dead times” are when the vehicle is stopped, possibly during parking, gridlock traffic, at a stop light, or other instances. In the case of fleet vehicles, like buses, a period of inactivity may be the loading and unloading of passengers. These times will be best spent topping off the battery and keeping the vehicle in service. The plan is to reduce the need for more or larger batteries. This process should also flatten the charging curve as consumers won’t be flooding the grid with their charging needs.
There are several projects in progress or in the early stages of preparation. One such project in Italy has been successful over the last six months, and you can read about it here:
Electreon's Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging Technology is Ready for Commercialization after… Electreon partners with global automotive leaders to bring Electric Road System (ERS) to Italy to decarbonize the…electreon.com
Recently it was announced that Detroit would be the next location to trial a one-mile stretch of road with this induction technology.
Wireless, In-Road Vehicle Charging Coming to Detroit The age of charging while you drive could be on the horizon in the Motor City. Wireless electric vehicle charging…www.govtech.com
A one-mile stretch isn’t the longest, but it is a step in the right direction. The long-term vision would be to expand the technology, thereby blanketing a city, reducing the need for gas or charging stations, reducing the number of emissions, and significantly increasing the air quality of the surrounding region. It’s an exciting time in electric technology!
