Electreon and Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification (ASPIRE — Utah State University), a National Science Foundation funded engineering research center taking on the nation’s electrified transportation challenges to the widespread electrification of all vehicles, have jointly announced a strategic partnership to codevelop and operate a dynamic wireless charging roadway in Utah approximately one-mile in length. The funding for this project will be based on the Utah Legislature’s decision from 2021 to allocate $15 million to ASPIRE.

The project is designated to showcase the commercial feasibility of dynamic wireless charging for freight vehicles and its ability to extend battery range, reduce battery size, lower vehicle cost, reduce grid pressure and enable a shared infrastructure for different EVs. The project will be hosted by the Utah Inland Port Authority and seeks to further enable large-scale electrification in Utah and across the region in support of their sustainability goals.

ASPIRE and Electreon say they aim to attract additional investments for subsequent phases, to create a commercial electric road network in Utah and other states. The project timeline includes a development and design phase in 2023 that will include collaborations with vehicle operators and manufacturers with deployment set for 2024. The data obtained during the first phase will be instrumental in shaping future scaling efforts, including the possibility of deploying dynamic wireless charging systems in later phases, in the corridor covering the greater Salt Lake City region along the I-15 and I-80 corridors. The dynamic wireless charging system will be designed to support the desired expansion to other regional centers including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Denver.

This project follows a successful collaboration between ASPIRE and Electreon that included the deployment of a test track of 164 feet of dynamic inroad wireless charging technology installed at Utah State University’s test track, together with industry partners Kiewit and Kenworth.