Could electric roads be the key to grid resiliency?

The charging process for electric vehicles (EVs)—finding a station, downloading an app, plugging in and waiting around for a charge—is one of the biggest obstacles to widespread adoption. Dynamic wireless charging takes away all the hassle for drivers by installing technology under a stretch of road that sends electricity wirelessly to the EVs driving along it.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Transportation Electrification Council predicts that “dynamic wireless charging of EVs could become a preferred method” for the industry at some point. Today, the market remains nascent. While Stellantis demonstrated dynamic wireless charging in 2022 with a Fiat 500 at the Arena del Futuro circuit, most of the pilots are targeted at trucks and buses, which require larger, heavier batteries to power them. Access to wireless charging could dramatically increase the hours of operation for fleets and decrease the size of the battery they require, improving EVs’ overall cost equation. Israeli start-up Electreon, one of the early movers in this space, has run pilots in China, Israel, Italy, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the US.

Now Australia is keen to explore its potential.