JERUSALEM, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Israel's first wireless electric road, allowing electric vehicles to charge up as they drive along, will be built in the northern coastal city of Haifa, the country's Transport Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
The wireless charging technology, developed by the Israeli hi-tech company Electreon Wireless, is based on special copper coils placed just below the road's surface, allowing vehicles to be charged while in motion.
The roads will be constructed by Electreon in cooperation with the state-owned transportation projects company Trans Israel along the "Metronit" network, which includes five fast articulated bus lines covering Haifa and nearby cities, with a total route length of 104 km.
The buses will pass above 16 charging sections to be installed along the network, each 100 meters long.
Electreon will be responsible for the deployment and maintenance of the project for 12 months, with a budget of 15.8 million shekels (about 4.23 million U.S. dollars), with an option for two more years while expanding the project.
The ministry noted that wireless charging buses are expected to save costs, improve service, and reduce air pollution, and the technology would allow smaller bus batteries, saving more costs and reducing loads on the electricity grid.
Electreon has signed agreements with China, the United States, Germany, France, Sweden, and Italy to pilot wireless charging roads. ■
