DETROIT (WXYZ) — The country’s first public inductive charging road is now active in Detroit.
It’s right on 14th Street in Corktown near the Michigan Central Mobility Hub.
Today, Mike Duffy got the chance to see it and get a full explanation of how it works from those who know it best.
“We’re walking on the nation’s first public electric road where we wirelessly can charge vehicles while they drive,” said Stefan Tonger.
Stefan Tonger is the Vice President of Business Development at Electreon, the company installing the innovative technology.
“Underneath this road…you see it’s a regular road, right?” said Tonger.
“Yep,” said WXYZ’s Mike Duffy.
“We installed coils,” said Tonger. “Rubber-coated copper coils that are embedded four inches under the ground.”
“Then we have a secondary coil underneath the vehicle. So as the vehicle approaches the road, you can get a charge from that coil while you drive or stand still. And as you drive past it, that coil will go passive and the next one will go active,” explained Tonger.
He understands some people might be concerned about safety.
“So why am I not being electrocuted right now?” asked Duffy.
“Well, that’s because the system is not active Mike. We’re just walking because we’re not the vehicle. The system is only activated once you have a verified receiver underneath the vehicle and drive above it,” said Tonger.
He says Electreon complies with international safety standards and has already built such roads in other countries.
He says the application of this charging is new, but the technology is not.
“The principle of transferring power wirelessly? This application though is new, and I think it can be a game changer for EV adoption,” said Tonger.
Marissa Kresch lives in Corktown. I asked her what she thinks about the first-of-its-kind road being in her neighborhood.
“I live in the Motor City. It is sort of the Fertile Crescent of the automotive industry, so I think it makes sense that we should pioneer it here,” said Marissa Kresch.
I asked her if she has any concerns about it.
“Not being an alarmist, I wouldn’t bring out my torch and pitchfork to protest against something I don’t understand,” said Kresch.
Brad Wiferich, the Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation told me he knows people’s imagination will go in many different ways until they see it and how it’s actually being used.
“Our immediate answer can’t be no to these technologies. We have to thoroughly think through them and understand how they can ultimately be applied,” said Brad Wiferich.
“We’re a mobility state. We’ve always been innovative in that space, and we continue to be there,” added Wiferich.
It was a sentiment driven home by Governor Gretchen Whitmer as part of a promotional video for the road unveiling.
“Electrify the damn roads,” said Governor Whitmer.
So, what comes next for Detroit?
“We are going to be as a next step installing about a mile of this on Michigan Avenue itself. That will be the next step. Again, building on the use cases and working with different companies and different agencies and entities to see again how this can actually be put into implementation,” said Wiferich.
I know people are curious about what it was like standing on that road and I have to say pretty cool because of what it means in terms of future technology but other than that, just like any other asphalt road.
