Electreon and Eurovia are collaborating to demonstrate dynamic electric vehicle charging through inductive technology on Germany’s autobahns. The E|MPOWER project is supported by Germany’s Autobahn administration and by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs as part of its ‘Elektro-Mobil’ programme.

The collaboration between Electreon, an Israeli specialist in wireless and in-road electric vehicle charging technology, and Eurovia, a subsdiary of French engineering group VINCI, is the second joint project between the two companies. It follows an initial partnership between the two companies began in 2021 to promote and construct in-road charging systems in Germany.

The €7.5 million E|MPOWER project began in July 2022 and includes integrating Electreon’s wireless Electric Road System (ERS) technology on a 1-km section of the Autobahn in Northern Bavaria.

ERS is an inductive charging technology that is directly integrated into the roadway enabling the contactless transfer of energy to driving and stationary vehicles.

Following construction of the first inductive solution in Karlsruhe in 2021, this next project is designed to showcase the technology on a larger scale and use new construction techniques to decrease building costs and duration. The E|MPOWER demonstrator will support deployment of future large-scale projects.

Several partners have teamed up to support the scale-out of Electreon’s ERS in a consortium made up of the Institute FAPS of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), the Institute ELSYS of Nuremberg Institute of Technology, Risomat GmbH & Co.KG, and VIA IMC GmbH.

“The E|MPOWER project is a major step toward decarbonising transportation in Germany and, ultimately, the world,” said Dr Andreas Wendt, CEO, Electreon Germany GmbH. “We look forward to collaborating with the consortium partners and joining forces with our partners from Eurovia following our past successful projects. Together with the consortium, Electreon is charging forward towards mass production and deployment capabilities.”

“The E|MPOWER project is the next important step in bringing inductive electric vehicle charging technology closer to the general public and positioning Germany as a leader in the field of production technology,” said Professor Dr-Ing. Jörg Franke, Head of the Institute FAPS.

“We are proud to contribute our expertise in the simulation of electromagnetic fields and power measurement technology to enhance the E|MPOWER project together with innovative partners,” said Professor Dr-Ing. Armin Dietz, Head of the ELSYS Institute.

“After the successful demonstration in Karlsruhe and the eCharge Project, this project is the next step to go forward with ERS in Europe. The E|MPOWER project will position us to deploy the system on a large scale. We are pleased with the partnership with Electreon,” said Dr Dirk Ebersbach, Innovation director Eurovia Germany and CEO VIA IMC.

“Charging infrastructure will be one of the most important needs for a successful shift toward electric mobility–we are happy to support the E|MPOWER project with our experience,” said Christian Halder, Deputy CEO Risomat GmbH & Co.KG.