Detroit roadway with embedded wireless vehicle charging technology is the nation’s first

After two years of construction, Detroit has unveiled the first stretch of public roadway in the United States to feature an embedded wireless in-road charging system, letting innovators test their vehicle charging technologies in a real world environment. A Ford E-Transit electric commercial van equipped with a receiver is expected to begin testing the system early next year. 

“Michigan has always been at the forefront of innovation in mobility, and that forward-thinking is on display with the latest advances in inductive charging from Electreon, the first deployment of this electric vehicle charging technology in the United States,” said Justine Johnson, chief mobility officer of the city’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. “This latest milestone supports the goals of the MI Future Mobility Plan to grow Michigan’s mobility leadership, and proves that companies like Electreon can test and deploy the newest innovations right here in Michigan.”

The embedded charging technology is from Electron, which built the roadway through a $1.9 million, five-year pilot initiative that was launched in 2021, and is based on inductive coupling between copper coils that are embedded below the road’s surface.

“When a vehicle with a receiver nears the in-road charging segments, the road transfers electricity wirelessly through a magnetic field,” the statement says. “This electricity is then transferred as energy to the vehicle’s battery. These charging segments can transfer wireless electricity to the receiver either when the vehicle is parked (static charging) or is driving (dynamic charging).”

The roadway is safe for drivers that don’t have a receiver, and harmless to pedestrians and wildlife. The charging coils are only activated when a vehicle equipped with an approved receiver passes over them.

The inductive charging system is embedded in a quarter-mile segment of 14th street, which is owned and maintained by Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). The charging road parallels the Newlab at Michigan Central Building, which is home to more tahn 60 tech and mobility startups, according to the statement. Eventually, administrators intend to embed the charging technology in a combined one-mile stretch of road throughout Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood. 

In 2024, MDOT will begin seeking bids to rebuild part of US-12 (Michigan Avenue), which will see additional inductive charging installed. Electreon has also installed two static inductive charging stations in front of Michigan Central Station, which will be able to charge Electreon-equipped vehicles while they are parked, according to the statement.

“For more than a century, Detroit has been known around the world as the leader in transportation innovation,” said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. “We are the birthplace of the auto industry, and the home of the first mile of concrete road and the first three-way traffic signal.”

The roadway is intended to spark innovation in the region’s auto industry, as an “open platform,” according to Carolina Pluszczynski, director of Michigan Central. 

“Implementing a public wireless EV charging road system in the district area—the first in the U.S.—will help not only serve as an asset for innovation for many partners, now and in the future, but also as a tool for education on the value electrification can create, including for everyday needs,” Pluszczynski said. Remaining work along 14th Street is expected to continue through the end of 2023, with extensive testing of the inductive charging technology beginning in early 2024. Innovators will test the efficiency and operations of the vehicle and study potential long-term public transportation opportunities.