Photo by Osman Rana on Unsplash
Detroit Wireless Charging Road Is the First in the Nation
November 30, 2023
Detroit, once the Motor City epicenter of America’s automotive industry, proudly unveils a technological marvel — the country’s first-ever wireless charging roadway. Nestled on 14th Street near Michigan Central in the historic Corktown district, this monumental development is more than just a typical stretch of tarmac.
“This is where it matters to be, in Detroit, to be where the automotive manufacturers are, to be where innovation can actually scale. This is a big moment for Electreon.”
Stefan Tongur, Electreon Vice President of Business Development, via Click On Detroit
The unassuming quarter-mile stretch of roadway hides a world of innovation beneath its surface. Embedded are inductive-charging coils primed to power up electric vehicles as they drive over or pause on the roadway.
“So as this vehicle is driving, it has a secondary coil underneath where we call a receiver, and it will allow you to get a charge from the primary coil underneath the ground to the secondary coil, the receiver, into the battery.”
Stefan Tongur, Electreon Vice President of Business Development, via Click On Detroit
This game-changing Detroit wireless charging road comes from the innovation powerhouse, Electreon. To showcase the road’s capabilities, Local 4’s team was invited for a drive in an EV with Tongur, their guide to this electrifying endeavor.
For this electric effect to occur, the vehicle must be fitted with a receiver. Without a receiver, the charging segments remain dormant. Despite the groundbreaking technology involved, company officials assure that wireless roads pose no danger to cars, pedestrians, or wildlife.
Michigan Central expects the innovation of the Detroit wireless charging road to bloom further, using the site as a nurturing platform to refine the technology for broader applications.
“It is an amazing step forward. So, if you think about it, well, it is just a quarter mile of road, what we will learn is what’s going to allow for expansion of that and think about the potential of being able to charge through the roads.”
Michigan Central CEO Josh Sirefman via Click On Detroit
Echoing these sentiments, Tongur conveyed his aspirations for the expansion of wireless charging roadways for public use in the near future. With Detroit leading the way, the dawn of a truly electric era of transportation is fast approaching.
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