Detroit Plans Country’s First Wireless Charging Road For Electric Cars

On Tuesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Michigan) announced Michigan’s plan to build the nation’s first wireless charging road for electric cars.

The plan is to build a charging path in mile-long road stretch from either Macomb, Oakland, or Wayne County to allow electric vehicle owners to charge their cars while driving.

“Michigan was home to the first mile of paved road, and now we’re paving the way for the roads of tomorrow with innovative infrastructure the will support the economy and the environment, helping us achieve our goal of carbon neutrality by 2050,” Whitmer said Tuesday at Motor Bella.

The state government has yet to disclose the detailed blueprint regarding technology and budget. The Michigan Department of Transportation said it would submit a Request for Proposal on September 28.

“We’re in the midst of the most significant shift in the automotive industry since the Model T rolled off the assembly line more than a century ago, and Michigan is once setting the course manufacturing the vehicles of the future and deploying charging solutions that make EV adoption more widely available,” Trevor Pawl, the Chief Mobility Officer from the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, said in a statement. “This electrified roadway has the potential to accelerate autonomous vehicles at scale and turn our streets into safe, sustainable, accessible and shared transportation platforms.”

Article by Dongyoon Shin