Detroit Local Powers First EV Charging Road in North America
The road, about a mile from Local 58’s hall, uses rubber-coated copper inductive-charging coils buried under the asphalt that transfer power to a receiver pad attached to a car’s underbelly, much like how a phone can be charged wirelessly. The charging, which does not affect pedestrians or wildlife, can power an electric car whether it’s parked (called static charging) or moving (dynamic charging). The road itself, about a quarter-mile long, looks like any other road and can be used by other cars.
Local 58 members provided field supervision and new electrical service to power the equipment, which came from startup company Electreon. They worked on installation of the distribution equipment, cable installation and termination, as well as the coils below the road and the charging-system cables.
The stretch of road, a part of 14th Street in the Motor City’s Corktown neighborhood, will be used to test the new technology in real-world conditions. Using a Ford E-Transit electric commercial van provided by Ford Motor Co. and equipped with the Electreon receiver, staff will test the efficiency and operations of the vehicle and study potential long-term public transportation opportunities.
The Michigan Department of Transportation is seeking bids to rebuild part of another road, U.S. 12, or Michigan Avenue, which will also have inductive charging installed. Osbern said Local 58 is a front-runner for that project, as well.
“The buzz around Detroit has been the renaissance of the Motor City as an electric vehicle hub, and this is one more piece of it,” Osbern said. “It’s been cool to watch us evolve.”
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