ElectReon Completes Dynamic Wireless Charging Road For Trucks

ElectReon, the Israeli specialist focused on dynamic wireless charging, announced completion of 1.65 km (over 1 mile) of a dynamic wireless charging system on a public road in Gotland, Sweden.

It's the world's largest deployment of its kind and the first for long-haul electric trucks and buses.

According to the company, the test on a 200-meter segment, at speeds of up to 60 km/h (37 mph), resulted in an average transfer rate of 70 kW from the road to the receivers and into the truck's battery. The 40-ton truck is equipped with five 20 kW wireless modules (100 kW total).

It sounds like enough power to not only maintain the speed, but also to recharge the battery for driving on normal roads.

"The fully electric long-haul truck was charged by the road while driving at various speeds of up to 60 km/h on a 200-meter electric road segment, with an average transfer rate of 70 kW from the road to the receivers and into the truck's battery. The system reached stable operation with consistent results, and testing confirmed that snow and ice do not affect the wireless charging capabilities. The Company proved the robustness of its proprietary cloud-based software by remotely operating, monitoring, and testing the system from the Company's headquarters in Israel."

Now, the company waits for official approval for use of the entire length of the road in both ways and for multiple vehicles simultaneously.

"In the coming months, following the successful testing on the 200-meter section and given additional approvals from relevant agencies, the Company expects to start operation of the entire road and simultaneously charge an electric bus on the same electric road. The wireless charging system will be further calibrated to enable the increase of power and a local truck operator will regularly operate the truck in order to conduct further tests."

It's a significant milestone for ElectReon, which is on track to meet the preliminary requirements for applying for the large-scale pilot of the construction of a wireless Electric Road planned by the Swedish Road Administration (Trafikverket) of approximately 30 kilometers (18.7 miles).

In the end, a lot will depend on the final commercial cost of the system and the industry, which would have to agree on a unified solution.

The idea of having an electrified road and only small on-board battery packs is quite tempting, at least in some applications where routes are repeatable.

Gallery: ElectReon dynamic wireless charging

11

See also

Electric 40-Ton Truck Gets Dynamically Wirelessly Charged