An Israeli company named Electreon is demonstrating the power of wireless charging road technology by driving a Toyota RAV4 PHEV on all-electric power for up to 100 hours.
The demonstration, which started on May 21 and is still ongoing at the time of writing, involves the RAV4 PHEV being driven around an oval-shaped 200-meter track of which 25% has wireless ‘Electric Road’ charging technology within it. Electreon’s goal is to never let the SUV’s 18 kWh battery get fully discharged and believes it will be able to travel between 1,000 km (621 miles) and 1,500 km (932 miles) over the five-day period.
If the RAV4 PHEV is able to drive 1,000 km without its battery getting fully depleted, it would have driven 13 times further than it would be able to without the wireless charging technology. If it runs for 1,500 km, its electric-only range would have increased 20-fold. The Toyota will only make intermittent stops so the drivers can change throughout the test.
Read: Wireless EV Charging On The Move Is Being Tested In Germany, Michigan Could Be Next
“Industry, political and public support for wireless EV charging technologies is greater now than at any other time since Electreon’s doors opened in 2013,” Electreon chief executive and co-founder Oren Ezer said. “We witnessed industry enthusiasm for our wireless EV technology grow into unwavering support. Now we see it bloom into declarations of commitment to advance wireless charging in commercial projects in public roads across the globe. Today we are involved in a dozen projects across five countries together with more than 60 global partners, including leading automotive partners. This is the tipping point.”
Electreon describes itself as a leading developer and provider of wireless charging solutions for EVs. It has developed proprietary inductive charging technology that works when a vehicle is in motion and when it is stationary. Earlier this month the company launched a public shuttle in Germany that charges as it drives.
