UCLA is moving forward with a project to develop in-road charging infrastructure for electric vehicles equipped to take a charge. The induction charging equipment, which is placed just beneath the road’s surface, will be spaced across about a mile of campus streets to give vehicles enough of a charge to essentially extend their range.
But that’s not all. The project, to be in place by the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, will also develop wireless static charging, so bus drivers will not need to physically plug in a charging cable, but may simply pull into a charging stall and let the induction infrastructure charge the vehicle. Developing in concert with both of these initiatives is a new transit hub located near the planned UCLA/Westwood Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority station. That hub is set to open in 2028.
These projects are being funded in part by a $19.85 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, in collaboration with CALSTART, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing clean transportation tech, and technology partner Electreon.
The first phase of the dynamic charging project will remain on the UCLA campus, said Clinton Bench, director of UCLA Fleet and Transit.
“We wanted to be on our own roadways so we could do our own permitting and such for the first phase,” he said, indicating a next phase of the project extends the dynamic charging “a bit farther.”
Electric buses gain about 4.5 miles of range while traveling along 0.6 miles of electric roadway, said Stefan Tongur, vice president of business development, U.S., at Electreon.
The project is ultimately viewed as serving more than just buses from the UCLA transit fleet. More than a half-dozen transit operators from Southern California interact with the UCLA campus, opening up an opportunity for these vehicles to top off their charge while visiting the campus.
“We are hoping that it won’t just be our buses that are able to use these inductive chargers in the future,” Bench said, noting some of those buses are traveling long distances, making the case for seamless charging at the UCLA campus.
“Their buses aren’t equipped with inductive charging right now,” he said. “But they’ve sought us out to say, ‘Is there a possibility for us to do opportunity charging during the middle of the day?’”
The vehicles could easily use the static charging infrastructure during a layover at the new UCLA transit center, he added.
“Of course they could also just plug in to a fast-charger with a cord,” said Bench. “But how much better would it be for us to just pull up for a few minutes at a transfer center?”
Dense, urban settings which tend to accommodate a number of transit vehicles are good locations for in-road electric charging, Tongur said, noting they can not only extend a vehicle’s range and operating window, but could also help cut costs by reducing the need for large onboard batteries.
“The implementation of wireless charging roadways has the potential to transform and accelerate EV adoption in the U.S. by overcoming key barriers like range anxiety, cost, operational efficiency, and scalability,” Tongur said via email.
Electreon has been the lead technology provider on other in-road dynamic charging projects. The company is advancing its partnership with the state of Michigan to deploy and test electric UPS Stepvans in a project known as the electric road system — a one-mile stretch of roadway in the Michigan Central area, a transportation innovation hub in downtown Detroit.
In addition to installing the wireless charging technology on an Xos electric delivery vehicle, the project will include the installation of new stationary wireless charging at a UPS facility in Detroit.
“This dual approach highlights the versatility of our wireless charging technology, supporting efficient charging both on the move and when vehicles are parked,” Tongur said. That project will receive $200,000 in funding from the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform.
“By expanding the applications and capabilities of this innovative technology to UPS’ Detroit facility, Michigan continues to be a leader in the electrification of mobility,” Justine Johnson, chief mobility officer for the state of Michigan, said in a statement.
