Wireless EV Charging
If you’re an owner of an electric vehicle, what if you could charge your car without taking a single step out of it? What if you could charge your car while you were driving? Well, one electric vehicle (EV) company claims they can turn these hypothetical scenarios into a reality.
A Tel Aviv startup called Electreon Wireless is collaborating with Ford and a Detroit energy company (DTE) to introduce their wireless charging technology to Detroit next year. They are constructing the first road in the US that will allow electric cars to charge while driving. Electreon claims that its infrastructure has already been installed on highways in Sweden, Israel, and Italy. The mile-long road will be electrified and located near Detroit’s Michigan Central Terminal.
Electric vehicles will charge on the road whether they are moving or stopped. How? The process involves inductive charging, which transports power from metal coils buried underneath the road to a special receiver on the bottom of the EV. Some estimate the cost of the receiver to be around $3000 to $4000 per car. However, Electreon has said they are working to cut the price to around $1500.
Wireless charging could reduce range anxiety and promote mainstream adoption of EV. Range anxiety is the fear that a vehicle’s energy storage won’t be enough to cover the distance needed to reach its destination. According to JD Power data, anxiety about an EV’s battery range is a major limiting factor in the cars’ commercial viability.
Would you be more likely to purchase an EV if you could charge it wirelessly?
I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.
