Israel’s wireless service provider Electreon will be deploying its in-road wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging technology for commercial and passenger EVs in Germany as part of a first-ever public wireless road project in Europe’s largest automobile market, the company announced on 15 December 2022.
Electreon will collaborate with EnBW, a leading provider of EV charging infrastructure for EVs in Germany, for the project, which is aimed at powering the publicly used electric bus.
According to the official media release, Electreon plans to deploy one km of Electric Road System (ERS) along a stretch of road, as well as two static charging stations in the city of Balingen in two phases. The two locations are determined based on the bus route and where the bus stops during its operational schedule, the company said, adding that in the first phase, a 400-m-long route with two static charging stations will be deployed. In the second phase, the electric road will be expanded by another 600 m. The project intends to charge the electric bus as it moves en route to the city.
Dr. Maximilian Arnold, who is overseeing the project at the EnBW research division, said, “The project in Balingen shows how innovatively and consistently we are promoting e-mobility in Germany. We have a holistic approach and want to make wireless charging technically fit for German public transport. This also includes convincing authorities, energy network operators, bus operators, and the general public of the opportunities. As a leading provider and innovation driver in the field of charging infrastructure, we are pleased to be part of this promising project with partners such as Electreon, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology."
“The aim of this project is not only to open up wireless charging to the public in Germany,” said Dr. Andreas Wendt, CEO, Electreon Germany GmbH. “Other significant aspects include the development and use of a tool that will assist public transportation planners in where to install the inductive infrastructure for a specific town or region. We have already shown in our joint Karlsruhe project with EnBW how effective, safe, and easy to deploy wireless dynamic charging is. We hope this is the start of many more projects on public and private roads in Germany.”
Notably, Electreon Germany GmbH is a subsidiary of Electreon Wireless LTD.
Significance: It must be noted that the project follows a successful pilot of Electreon’s technology in the city of Karlsruhe, in partnership with EnBW. To execute the wireless charging project, an electrified road was installed at the EnBW training center, powering a local public bus at peak hours.
Moreover, as part of the agreement for this latest project in Balingen, Electreon will receive up to EUR3.2 million to deploy the dynamic and static wireless charging infrastructure.
