Israeli charging startup, Electreon, secured tenders in France and Norway to install portions of its wireless charging road technology. In France, a 2 km stretch on the A10 highway near Paris will be fitted with a wireless charging road as well as a wireless charging station. This reportedly has the potential to reduce road freight CO2 emissions by 86%. In Norway, the technology will be implemented near a bus depot, wirelessly charging electric buses and enabling smaller battery packs. Electreon’s goal is to create a complete electric road in Trondheim, Norway, capable of charging electric buses, trucks, and taxis.
Wireless charging roads often promise a future of electric transport with unlimited range and downsized batteries. In reality, this is unlikely to be the case in the foreseeable future due to the technical challenges that must be overcome, such as the ride heights of vehicles varying so much that the wireless charging system tuning for maximum efficiency is almost impossible, or the frequency that modern roads may be damaged or need to be dug up for repair. However, the schemes in France and Norway are specifically aimed at heavy freight and buses, vehicle types that struggle with electrification due to the size of the batteries required to achieve longer ranges. A dedicated bus lane would be one perfect place to install the technology as the vehicles using the stretch of road can become more standardised, reducing battery size requirements and allowing for continued use without requiring stopping to charge. SAR Insight covers the wireless power market across many applications including inductive charging of electric vehicles in its Wireless Power and Charging Technologies service.
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