Wireless charging might well be the next big revelation in EV infrastructure, and the state of Indiana is the latest to try it out.
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and Purdue Universityhave announcedtheir plan to integrate wireless charging into the state’s highways thanks to a special magnetizable concrete, called “magment.”
Developed by the homonymous German firmMagment, this concrete productconsists of cement and recycled magnetic particles.
As per the company, the concrete medium has “record-breaking wireless transmission efficiency… up to 95%,” and “standard road-building installation costs, while “enabling universal charging,” among other uses.
The project will be implemented in three phases, expected to begin later this summer.
Phase 1 and 2:TheJoint Transportation Research Program (JTRP) of Purdue University will run pavement testing, analysis, and optimization research.
Phase 3:INDOT willconstruct a 400-meter long magment highway at an undisclosed location, to test theconcrete’s capacity to charge heavy trucks, operating at 200 kilowatts and above.
If all the above phases are successful, INDOT will use this technology to build a yet to be determined segment of interstate highway within Indiana.
INDOT claims that such a charging solution would be a “word first,” whileGovernor Eric J. Holcomb said “[the project] sends a strong signal that Indiana is on the leading edge of delivering the infrastructure needed to support the adoption of electric vehicles.”
It’s reasonable to assume that, in time, wireless charging will be a widespread method, which could solve once and for all issues such as long charging times or range anxiety. The cost required to incorporate it in public roads will be steep, though.
If you’re interested in similar initiatives, you can check out the project ofCornell UniversityandStanford University.
Do EVs excite your electrons? Do ebikes get your wheels spinning? Do self-driving cars get you all charged up?
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Story byIoanna Lykiardopoulou
Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainabili(show all)Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainability, green tech, AI, and EU policy. With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.
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