Electreon is part of a new project that will equip a UPS facility in Detroit with wireless charging capabilities.
By: Jordyn Grzelewski
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There may come a day when topping up your EV’s battery is as simple as driving down the road.
In the meantime, Israeli startup Electreon is making progress toward introducing wireless EV charging to what its leaders see as the best segment to lead the way on this emerging tech: commercial fleets.
The state of Michigan recently announced an expansion of its wireless charging partnership with Electreon to provide charging solutions to a UPS fleet in Detroit. As Tech Brew previously reported, Electreon started testing its tech on a quarter-mile portion of road on the Michigan Central campus in Detroit, with support from the state, about a year ago.
Electreon will integrate its charging tech into an electric van assembled by commercial EV manufacturer Xos, according to a news release, and the companies will install stationary, cable-free charging equipment at a UPS facility.
The project stakeholders said in the release that this deployment could help prove out wireless charging tech’s “potential to lower the total cost of ownership in the electrification of commercial truck fleets.”
“We’re excited to demonstrate how Electreon’s technology can optimize electric fleet usage and showcase the seamless integration of wireless charging into daily fleet operations, minimizing downtime and enabling charging across time and location,” Stefan Tongur, Electreon’s VP of business development for the US, said in a statement.
No wires needed: The idea behind wireless (or inductive) charging is essentially to make charging a forgettable experience: Drivers don’t have to worry about plugging in and can even boost their range on the go.
Stakeholders like Tongur also have noted advantages like potentially being able to reduce battery sizes—which make up a significant portion of the cost of EVs—because drivers wouldn’t need as much range if they’re able to charge while they’re literally on the road (the tech has skeptics, too, who point to challenges like the massive investment and coordination it would require to rebuild portions of roadways).
For Electreon’s pilot project in Detroit, copper coils were installed under the road surface. The coils attach to a receiver that’s built into the vehicle. A magnetic field enables the roadway to transfer electricity to the vehicle’s battery.
The project was touted as the first public wireless charging roadway in the country. The aim was to determine whether it’s feasible to equip public roads with wireless charging capabilities, as part of a five-year agreement the startup has with the state.
Tongur said at the time, though, that Electreon’s near-term focus would be on commercial applications of its technology until it’s scaled up enough to support projects that would serve the mass market.
“We’re not going to the private passenger cars yet, because fleets are predictable in their behavior of where they drive,” he told Tech Brew previously. “They represent for us a very good go-to-market segment. That might be buses, heavy-duty trucks, last-mile delivery vehicles, shuttles.”
Businesses and fleet operators face a different calculus than retail consumers about making the electric switch. It has to make financial sense from the jump and deliver total cost-of-ownership benefits, even as businesses navigate shifting regulations. Fleet operators also are heavily focused on factors like where and how they’ll charge EVs and which commercial EVs make the most sense for their businesses.
“By doing those kinds of target segments first and getting those users’ fleets on board, we’ll also get the vehicles on board,” Tongur told us earlier this year. “We get the policymakers on board. We get the DOTs on board. And then we can scale this” to other use cases.
