The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and Purdue University have partnered to develop a dynamic wireless charging highway segment. The project will use a type of magnetizable concrete developed by German startup Magment to enable the wireless charging of EVs as they drive.

The project will consist of three phases, and is expected to begin later this summer. Phases 1 and 2 will feature pavement testing, analysis, and optimization research conducted by the Joint Transportation Research Program at Purdue’s West Lafayette campus. In phase 3, INDOT will construct a quarter-mile-long test bed where engineers will test the magnetizable concrete’s capacity to charge heavy trucks at power levels of 200 kW and up. Once the technology has been successfully demonstrated, INDOT plans to use it to electrify a segment of interstate highway in Indiana.

“As electric vehicles become more widely used, demand for reliable, convenient charging infrastructure continues to grow, and the need to innovate is clear,” said INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness.

“This project is a real step forward towards the future of dynamic wireless charging,” said Mauricio Esguerra, CEO of Magment.

Source: Indiana DOT