A stretch of road in downtown Detroit can now wirelessly charge electric vehicles — a first in North America — and it's thanks in part to members of Detroit Local 58.
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| The road, about a mile from Local 58's hall, uses rubber-coated copper inductive-charging coils buried under the asphalt that transfer power to a receiver pad attached to a car's underbelly, much like how a phone can be charged wirelessly.
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"This project speaks to our skill set and grasp of the groundbreaking technology," said Local 58 Business Representative Byron Osbern. "When our customer needed this done, they knew to call on us."
The road, about a mile from Local 58's hall, uses rubber-coated copper inductive-charging coils buried under the asphalt that transfer power to a receiver pad attached to a car's underbelly, much like how a phone can be charged wirelessly. The charging, which does not affect pedestrians or wildlife, can power an electric car whether it's parked (called static charging) or moving (dynamic charging). The road itself, about a quarter-mile long, looks like any other road and can be used by other cars.
Local 58 members provided field supervision and new electrical service to power the equipment, which came from startup company Electreon. They worked on installation of the distribution equipment, cable installation and termination, as well as the coils below the road and the charging-system cables.
It was a project that took a lot of coordination and planning, said Rauhorn Electric Project Manager Chris Korte. The conduit runs needed to be exact for the small-coil trenches and pre-cut charging cables that run from the road coils to the management system. The final day, which began at 4 a.m., was unique as it entailed installing 180 coils and pulling and terminating all the charging cables before any of the road work could start.
"It all needed to be done that day," Korte said. "System layout was critical."
The project took about two months and finished at the end of November. As often happens in the upper Midwest, the schedule was affected by inclement weather, but the crews completed everything on time.
"The IBEW played a pivotal role, from building the electrical infrastructure to meeting project timelines and providing all the heavy lifting on the final day," Korte said.
The stretch of road, a part of 14th Street in the Motor City's Corktown neighborhood, will be used to test the new technology in real-world conditions. Using a Ford E-Transit electric commercial van provided by Ford Motor Co. and equipped with the Electreon receiver, staff will test the efficiency and operations of the vehicle and study potential long-term public transportation opportunities.
The Michigan Department of Transportation is seeking bids to rebuild part of another road, U.S. 12, or Michigan Avenue, which will also have inductive charging installed. Osbern said Local 58 is a front-runner for that project, as well.
"The buzz around Detroit has been the renaissance of the Motor City as an electric vehicle hub, and this is one more piece of it," Osbern said. "It's been cool to watch us evolve."
Wireless charging, which is also being tested by Electreon in Europe, Israel and China, could be a boon for the EV car market by combating the "range anxiety" that some drivers experience on long trips if they're not near a charging station. It's also promising for public transit and commercial transportation like delivery vans and long-haul trucks. A vehicle that can charge on the go can use a smaller and cheaper battery without losing time at a charging station.
While this type of technology is new, IBEW members working on such an innovation is not. The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program, which has trained thousands of members in EV charging, is the preferred training program of the Biden administration, which has invested billions of dollars in EV infrastructure.
"IBEW Local 58 has shown our innovation and proven our forward thinking by cornering the market on EVITP-trained workers since the mid-2000s. Now it's our turn to show off the skill, ability and knowledge we possess," Business Manager Paul VanOss said. "When Detroit needs to electrify, our members are standing at the ready with tools and talent."