Shortly after Qualcomm successfully tested a 100-meter long wireless charging road, it has been announced that the government of Israel is working with a local start-up to create a short bus route in Tel Aviv that uses charging roads.
The company deploying the technology locally, ElectRoad, recently received a $120,000 grant from Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety after successfully showcasing an 80-foot test route at its headquarters in Caesarea.
ElectRoad will outfit a small portion, approximately half a mile long, of a Tel Aviv bus route with the technology to be deployed next year., Scientific American reports. If the wireless charging road proves successful, Israel’s government intends on deploying the technology more widely and intends on initially doing so on an an 11-mile route between the Ramon Interational Airport and the city of Eilat.
Speaking about the plans, chief scientist at Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety said “Tel Aviv is the biggest city [in Israel], like New York on a small scale. If it will work in Tel Aviv, it will work anywhere. I think in 10 years you’ll see a lot of solutions like ElectRoad in our transportation.”
No details have been released about how much the project will cost but it is thought that the cost of the technology will be a key factor in determining its future viability.
PHOTO GALLERY
