Electroad to Launch Wireless Charged Electric Vehicles in Tel Aviv
Paving the way to renewable energy...
Soon we’ll be charging electric cars without ever having to stop and recharge.Start-up, Electroad, is launching the first road to be buried with coils to inductively charge cars.
The Israeli start-up will be implementing the roads in collaboration with a public bus route in Tel Aviv, promising a cost-effective way to travel that's cleaner and more energy efficient.
Courtesy of Electroad
The company uses electromagnetic induction – the same resource used to power smartphones wirelessly. Other companies like Qualcomm and KAIST also work with wireless vehicle charging, however this technology differs.
Essentially Electroad is straightforward and cost effective. CEO Oren Ezer says, ‘Our technology is flexible…only copper and rubber is needed, and deployment is quick and easy. You can retrofit one kilometre of road in just half a day, from night to morning.’
The electric buses also contain a safety battery that will allow the vehicles to drive for up to 5 kilometres without an electric current if needed. The cordless power transfers allow the vehicle to be built as light as possible with only a small battery, saving money on energy and resources.
The company is set to test the technology on a public electric bus route in Tel Aviv within the next year. Successful tests have already been made with 20 metres of retrofitted electric road outside of the lab. If the trial goes to plan, the city plans to extend its route to serve Tel Aviv University.
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