Detroit introduces electrified road that can charge EVs as they drive

The city of Detroit has introduced the first charging road in the United States.

So-called ‘range anxiety‘ is still a deal breaker when it comes to buying EVs.

And that’s why this idea and technology can definitely change the game.

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The pilot project is being developed by a company called Electreon.

In theory, installing chargers under the tarmac sounds easy.

The technology developed by Electreon uses copper inductive charging coils installed beneath the asphalt.

These coils can charge EVs while driving, idling, or even when they’re parked.

There’s a catch, though.

These coils don’t work with all EVs, only on those equipped with a certain type of compatible receiver.

Range anxiety, a colloquial term used to describe fear of not being able to charge your EV, is still a huge deal.

In fact, it’s one of the main reasons why EV adoption isn’t taking off as expected.

Aside from Tesla with its proprietary Superchargers, all other automakers rely on public infrastructure, which sometimes isn’t great.

A charging road may not be a silver bullet solution, but it definitely helps.

The irony that Detroit, of all cities, is working on a charging road isn’t lost on us.

MoTown was once the Mecca of the V8 but that’s behind us, it seems.

Not a day goes by without this or that car company expressing concerns about massive EV adoption.

And yet, every other week we’re forced to bid farewell to a great gas-powered icon that’s being replaced by an EV counterpart.

Earlier this week, for example, we watched the last Dodge Challenger roll off the assembly line.

Times, they are a-changin’, aren’t they?