Indiana to build highway that could charge EVs
INDIANAPOLIS – Work will begin soon in Indiana on the first segment of highway that will take a step toward wirelessly charging electric vehicles as they travel, a project that could help define the future of EV charging.
The Indiana Department of Transportation is teaming up with Purdue University and Cummins Inc. to install the technology on a state highway in West Lafayette, Indiana, as part of a pilot project, according to a draft news release obtained by the Indianapolis Star.
The first segment of the project will cover about a quarter of a mile along U.S. Highway 52/U.S. Highway 231, the release said.
The Indianapolis Star has requested more details about the project and is waiting for responses from INDOT and Purdue, which both confirmed an official announcement is planned for the near future.
Indiana’s pilot segment comes after multiple years of testing and research. In the future, the goal is to expand the research by electrifying a section of an Indiana interstate. The ability to charge on the go would reduce the need for charging breaks and extend the range of electric vehicles, which currently is one of their major drawbacks.
The ongoing work is aimed at advancing understanding on how to transfer high power across longer stretches of pavement at highway speeds, as well as how to equip EVs to obtain that power as they are on the move.
Construction is expected to begin this spring and be completed by next summer. The work will entail removing the existing pavement and installing the coil circuits and electronics, including inverters and transmitters.
When complete, the segment of road will be able to help charge both heavyduty and electric passenger vehicles as they travel at highway speeds, the draft release said.
A similar quarter-mile stretch of EVcharging road was unveiled in Detroit in November. That project is on a downtown surface street whereas Indiana’s segment is the first on a public highway.
The Indianapolis Star’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.*