This system is intended to charge e-buses while driving

In Balingen, Baden-Württemberg, a charging street is currently being built that will charge electric vehicles while driving. The keyword here is: inductive charging. The basis is formed by magnetic coils located in the roadway.

The future probably belongs to electromobility. Although experts are now expecting the e-car market to shrink, there is still no end in sight. This is because demand is still high, especially for larger vehicles such as buses.

Hamburg would like to use only electric buses by 2030. A goal that could hardly be more ambitious. But how can you ensure that a low battery level does not cause unnecessary delays? The city of Balingen in Baden-Württemberg is therefore pursuing a special approach. She builds magnetic coils in the road to charge e-vehicles directly while driving.

Inductive charging: a 400-meter stretch of road becomes a charging street

The background of the project is the local state horticultural show in the city. An electric shuttle bus will transport visitors from the Stadthalle to the exhibition center. In order to keep the charging breaks as short as possible, the technology from the Israeli company Electreon should charge the vehicles while driving.

To do this, a 400-meter-long section of the route is equipped with magnetic coils in the roadway. The coils generate a magnetic field that the bus absorbs and in turn converts into electricity.

This works in a similar way to charging a smartphone wirelessly. In addition to the stretch of road, the end points and the local depot also have a charging point. If everything goes according to plan, one day they even want to expand the technology further.

Electreon is planning further projects in Germany

Although Electreon is still a young company, it has already presented successful pilot projects that demonstrate what the technology can do. In Israel, a 20-meter stretch of road was equipped with the charging system and its effectiveness was demonstrated using a Renault Zoe.

In Germany, the company announced a pilot project in Karlsruhe with the energy supplier EnBW in 2020, but this is still not in operation. In addition, Electreon is planning a loading road on a German autobahn, where one kilometer of coils will be embedded. However, the project in Balingen will first demonstrate practicality.

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