Israeli Hi-Tech company, Electreon has just announced the installation of Norway’s first wireless charging road for electric vehicles in Trondheim. This comes as no surprise because when it comes to EVs and renewable energy, Norway has always been ahead of most of the world.
This new road segment is a 100m long stretch that uses special copper coils installed beneath the surface of the road. The coils create a magnetic field that wirelessly transfers energy to Electric vehicles fitted with receivers that convert this magnetic energy to electricity.
This technology allows the EVs to charge while on the move, a concept called dynamic charging, or while they are stationary if they are on that stretch of the road.
Their pilot phase commences in 2024 and will run for a year. The goal is to test the road under rigorous real-life conditions, and Trondheim is just the right place to do that as it boasts some of the most extreme weather conditions in Norway, especially during winter.
The pilot involves three electric buses from Yutong and one from Higer, and it will assess the technology’s ability to withstand these extreme conditions and its reliability. Not only that, it will also examine how practical it will be to depend on the road as the sole energy source for the buses, and if they’ll be able to go the entire day without charging stops.
This project is incredibly significant to not just Norway but the world as its success could pave the way for broader adoption of wireless charging systems, marking a significant advancement in the quest for greener urban mobility solutions. A positive move.
The project is fully backed by the Norwegian government, with funding at an estimated total cost of up to 22.4 million Norwegian kroner (approximately 2.12 million US dollars).
