Electreon and ASPIRE Engineering Research Center announce a joint demonstration project for Electreon’s in-motion wireless charging technology on ASPIRE’s research test track. (Photo: Business Wire)
NORTH LOGAN – Utah State University’s Innovation Campus will be the site to demonstrate a new way of charging electric vehicles. The demonstration project partners Electreon, a provider of in-road wireless electric vehicle charging technology, and Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification (ASPIRE), a National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Research Center taking on the nation’s electrified transportation challenges. The wireless charging technology will be installed in ASPIRE’s research test track in North Logan this summer.
The test and demonstration are being done in advance of the first deployment of this technology in Detroit next year.
According to ASPIRE, the demonstration will consist of 50 meters (approximately 164 feet) of dynamic in-road wireless charging hardware installed in USU’s test track. Corresponding vehicle side charging hardware will be installed on a Kenworth truck, and power management and charging communication systems will also be included. The North Logan site will function as a live demonstration facility for future partners who may see the value of in-motion wireless automotive charging, such as departments of transportation, government officials, current and potential industry partners, and automakers.
The test track in North Logan has been used to develop and illustrate new trends in sustainable electrified transportation, while also bringing in millions of research dollars to USU.
“ASPIRE is excited to work with Electreon in demonstrating the electrified roadways of tomorrow,” said Regan Zane, ASPIRE Center Director, in a statement. “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.”
“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, in a statement. “We are excited at the prospect of advancing sustainable charging technology in hopes of supporting the U.S. movement toward an all-electric future.”
Besides the upcoming deployment of this technology in Detroit in 2023, this demonstration project, in part, aims to validate dynamic wireless charging technology solutions for several upcoming pilot projects that include the Utah Inland Port Authority in Salt Lake City, the Central Florida Expressway in Orlando, Florida and developing projects in several states across the nation.
Electreon and ASPIRE are also partnering on the demonstration project with Kiewit Corporation, who will provide expert insight into installation and construction processes for electric roads.
“The ASPIRE demonstration will be essential in understanding construction considerations around installation and maintenance of dynamic and static inductive vehicle charging on public roads,” says Mike Johnson, Kiewit Sr. Vice President of Infrastructure Markets & Strategy.
The project also includes Kenworth Truck Company, which has delivered a Class 8 Kenworth T680 Classic to USU for the integration with the Electreon system at the test track.
“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,” said Ryan Reed, Kenworth Director of Research and Development in Renton, Washington.
Electreon is one of the only active dynamic charging solutions available on the market today with projects spanning worldwide including the electrified roadways charging 200 buses in Israel as well as other projects in Italy, Germany, Sweden and now coming to Utah and Michigan.