Trials in the United States and Europe are testing whether embedding wireless charging systems beneath road surfaces can support electric vehicles while driving and reduce reliance on plug-in infrastructure.
Why Wireless Charging Roads?
Wireless charging roads, often described as electric roads or dynamic wireless charging systems, are intended to address one of the most persistent challenges in electric vehicle adoption, reliable and convenient access to charging. While public charging networks are expanding, concerns remain about availability, downtime and the time required to recharge vehicles, particularly for commercial fleets.
The underlying concept is that vehicles equipped with compatible receivers can collect energy while travelling, waiting in traffic, or stopping briefly. Tel Aviv-based Electreon, one of the leading companies developing this technology, describes its approach in practical terms as enabling vehicles to “charge while driving”, “charge while queuing” and “charge while parked”. The stated objective is to reduce operational disruption and allow more flexible energy management throughout the day.
How Inductive Charging Works
The systems currently being deployed in pilot projects rely on inductive wireless charging. This involves installing copper coils beneath the road surface and connecting them to the electricity grid. When a compatible vehicle drives over the embedded coils, energy transfers through a magnetic field to a receiver fitted underneath the vehicle, which then feeds the battery.
Electreon explains that its “wireless electric road technology is based on magnetic resonance induction, with copper coils installed under the roadway.” The coils are designed to activate only when an authorised vehicle passes above them, remaining powered off in their default state. This means that vehicles without compatible receivers, as well as pedestrians or animals, do not trigger energy transfer.
Can’t See It From The Outside
The design of the system means the road surface itself appears unchanged because the charging components are installed beneath the asphalt, and control units positioned at the roadside manage the power supply and system monitoring. According to the company, the infrastructure is intended to operate discreetly within standard road construction and maintenance frameworks.
Where Public Trials Are Underway
Detroit is hosting the first publicly accessible wireless charging street in the United States. A quarter mile section of 14th Street in the Corktown district has been equipped with inductive coils beneath the road surface to enable dynamic charging for compatible electric vehicles. The project is linked to Michigan Central’s mobility innovation district and has involved the Michigan Department of Transportation, the City of Detroit, Ford Motor Company and DTE Energy.
The Detroit installation has been used to test performance using a Ford E-Transit shuttle vehicle known as Ellie. Publicly released test reports describe the operation of the dynamic charging system and its integration with static wireless charging points installed nearby. The project has been presented by state officials as part of a wider strategy to support electrified transport and long-term emissions reduction.
In Other Countries Too
Electreon has also implemented pilot projects in Israel, Sweden, Germany, Italy and France, often focusing on bus routes, freight corridors or controlled test tracks. These deployments are intended to assess durability, energy transfer efficiency, interoperability and system performance under real-world conditions.
The Business Case For Fleet Operators
Much of the early commercial focus has centred on public transport operators and freight fleets. For example, buses, delivery vehicles and heavy goods vehicles typically operate along predictable routes and for extended hours, which makes opportunity charging during normal operations more feasible.
Electreon is promoting a service model that allows operators to pay for access to the charging infrastructure rather than funding full installation themselves. In reporting on its commercial agreement with Dan Bus Company in Tel Aviv, the company stated that Dan would pay a monthly fee of 2,500 Israeli shekels per bus using the system, alongside electricity costs. The same project combined dynamic on-route charging with stationary wireless charging at a bus terminal.
Interestingly, in its Tel Aviv University Station case study, Electreon reported that on-route charging enabled a reduction in required battery size to 42 kilowatt hours from an original 400 kilowatt hours, describing this as “a nearly 90% reduction in size”. Such outcomes are specific to individual routes and operating patterns, yet they illustrate the potential argument that vehicles may not need to carry large batteries if energy can be collected frequently throughout the day.
Battery Size And Emissions Implications
The sustainability case for wireless charging roads extends beyond convenience. For example, smaller batteries can reduce the demand for raw materials and energy-intensive manufacturing processes, while lighter vehicles generally consume less energy per mile. If dynamic charging allows for reduced battery capacity without compromising operational range, the overall lifecycle emissions of vehicles could be affected.
Electreon also positions its technology as supporting carbon neutrality by enabling more efficient use of transport energy and lowering the need for extensive grid upgrades. The company states that the technology can reduce the need for large batteries and extensive grid connection capacity, contributing to flatter electricity demand profiles and potentially lower system costs.
Standards And Interoperability
For wireless charging roads to expand beyond isolated pilots, technical standards are essential. For example, the SAE J2954 standard addresses interoperability and electromagnetic compatibility for wireless power transfer in light and medium-duty vehicles. Internationally, the IEC 61980 series sets requirements for wireless power transfer systems for electric road vehicles, including safety and system performance criteria.
Standardisation Necessary
Also, standardisation is needed to ensure that vehicles from different manufacturers can operate on shared infrastructure and that electromagnetic exposure remains within established limits. Without broad adoption of common standards, the risk of vendor-specific systems limiting scalability remains significant.
Costs And Practical Challenges
The cost of installing wireless charging infrastructure beneath roads remains a central concern. For example, the Detroit pilot has cited figures of close to two million US dollars per mile for current installations. While developers argue that costs could fall as deployment scales and installation processes mature, large-scale retrofitting of urban or intercity roads would represent a substantial capital commitment.
Maintenance and road lifecycle management present further challenges. For example, roads require resurfacing and periodic repair, and embedded infrastructure must be designed to withstand heavy traffic, weather variation and long-term wear. Electreon states that its systems have undergone stress and endurance testing to demonstrate that installation does not reduce road lifespan when implemented correctly, although long-term operational data at scale is still limited.
Safety A Concern
Safety and electromagnetic exposure are also important considerations for using this type of new technology on public roads. Electreon states that its system activates coils only when authorised vehicles are present and that it has been tested in accordance with international electromagnetic compatibility and safety standards. Independent technical reviews of wireless charging systems identify issues such as alignment, thermal management and electromagnetic exposure as areas requiring careful design and monitoring.
Strategic Role Within Wider Charging Infrastructure
Wireless charging roads are, therefore, not intended to be a replacement for conventional plug-in charging in all contexts. Instead, the approach is a complementary infrastructure for specific use cases, e.g., bus routes, logistics hubs and high-utilisation corridors where predictable movement patterns may support a stronger economic case.
There is clearly a long way to go with this idea before it can be rolled out at scale, and public authorities and industry stakeholders are still evaluating whether dynamic charging can meaningfully contribute to emissions reduction targets and fleet electrification goals. For now, the technology remains in a pilot and early commercial phase, with expansion dependent on cost reduction, standardisation, and evidence from ongoing real-world trials.
What Does This Mean For Your Organisation?
Wireless charging roads have moved beyond theory, but they remain limited to targeted pilots where the operational case is strongest. The technology has shown that vehicles can collect energy while moving, queuing or stopping, and that battery size and downtime may be reduced in certain use cases. Whether that translates into wide-scale deployment depends on cost reduction, robust standards and long-term maintenance performance.
For UK businesses, particularly fleet operators and logistics providers, this is a development to monitor rather than adopt immediately. Any future rollout would require coordination between highways authorities, energy providers and vehicle manufacturers, alongside clear economic and environmental evidence.
For policymakers, the central question is value for money. Wireless charging roads may complement conventional plug-in infrastructure on specific high-use corridors, yet they are unlikely to replace it. The next stage will be defined by data from real-world trials and by whether the sustainability benefits justify the infrastructure investment.
