Germany is set to install a public test track for electric vehicles that can be charged while driving using magnetic coils embedded in the road. The project, called E|MPOWER, aims to develop the technology and create a standard for the production of coils and their integration into roads. The first public test track will be a one-kilometer stretch of highway in northern Bavaria, equipped with charging coils supplied by Israeli firm Electreon. The coils generate a high-frequency magnetic field that is converted into electricity in the vehicle. The project partners, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen and Electreon, hope to establish Germany as a leader in the field of production technology.
Germany has been struggling to boost sales of electric vehicles due to range anxiety, long charging times, and a lack of charging infrastructure. The eCharge project at the Technical University of Braunschweig demonstrated in 2021 that inductive charging while driving could significantly increase the range of electric vehicles. However, the technology has not yet been tested on public roads. The E|MPOWER project aims to bring the inductive charging technology to maturity and develop a standard for the production of coils and their integration into roads. The public test track will allow the project partners to test the processes for automated production and road integration and demonstrate their functionality.
The test track is expected to be open to normal traffic in 2025. The charging coils will be supplied by Electreon, which has already installed test tracks in Israel, including one that charges city buses in Tel Aviv while in operation. The flat coils are arranged in an endless band and installed using special laying vehicles that can cover about a kilometer of road in a single night. The durability of the road coils depends on the load and can last between ten and twenty years. When a compatible electric vehicle with a receiver coil passes over the charging coils, they become active, and the charging process begins. Electreon claims that the charging power is also sufficient for trucks.
