The city of Tel Aviv is working on creating wireless electric roads to charge and power the city's public transport.
Electric roads are part of a pilot program led by the City of Tel Aviv in collaboration with ElectReon, a company that has developed a system that can charge electric vehicles while they are in motion, and the Dan Bus Company.
The project is funded by a mix of public and private funds, according to an ElectReon spokesperson, although a full budget has not yet been announced.
The electric roads will extend from the Tel Aviv University train station to the Klatzkin terminal in Ramat Aviv. A route of approximately 2 kilometers (1,2 miles).
How Tel Aviv's electric road will work
The electrical infrastructure under the road will charge specially equipped buses. The electric road system consists of a set of copper coils that are placed under the asphalt.
“Energy is transferred from the electricity grid to the road infrastructure and manages communication with oncoming vehicles,” according to the website by ElectReon.
As for vehicles that will benefit from wireless charging on the electric road, the receivers are installed on the bottom of the passenger compartment to transmit energy directly to the battery while driving.
“The last days were spent building the road,” a city spokesperson told CNN Business. “Before starting operations, tests and trials will be necessary in the coming weeks.”
An entire network without charging stations
If the pilot project is successful, Tel Aviv Municipality will evaluate the expansion and use of electric roads in more sections of the city.
“Our strategic action plan to prepare for the climate change has placed the fight against pollution at the top of the municipality's environmental agenda,” he said in a press release Ron Hulday, the mayor of the city.
“If the pilot project is successful, we will evaluate – together with the Ministry of Transport – its expansion to further locations in the city”.
“Relying on direct charging of vehicles from the road itself will eliminate the need to establish charging stations or be operationally tied to terminals,” he said Meital Lehavi, Deputy Transport Councilor of Tel Aviv.
The timing
The timeline for testing and integrating the technology onto the electric road is expected to take approximately two months. Upon completion, Dan Bus Company will begin regular trips on the route, carrying passengers traveling to and from Tel Aviv University.
