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Wireless charging for electric vehicles (EVs) is coming to the streets of Southern California universities, and comes at a hefty price, with much of the cost being borne by taxpayers.
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is partnering with CALSTART and Electreon Wireless, Inc. to develop charging infrastructure for the UCLA/Westwood Zero Emissions Transportation Service Expansion: Large-Scale Wireless Charging Deployment project, according to documents from Part is implemented. of California State Transportation Authority (CalSTA).
The total budget for the project is just over $34.95 million, with $19.85 million coming from the state.
“Nearly $20 million in state funding comes from the Transportation and Intercity Rail Capital Program, with two major components: 10% of statewide cap-and-trade auction revenues and a portion of transportation improvement fees collected at the time of vehicle registration. Funded by sources,” CalSTA said in a statement to FOX Business.
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Electreon's diagram shows how wireless charging works on UCLA's BruinBus. (Electreon via UCLA Transportation)
| ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELWSF | electron wireless | 64 | +6.00 |
+10.34% |
“This project was selected through a detailed review process that included technical committees and executive search committees from multiple state agencies and departments before being awarded by the Secretary of Transportation,” the statement added.
CalSTA says projects must show evidence of increased ridership and reduced greenhouse gas emissions to receive funding.
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UCLA's BruinBus seen on the campus street. To win millions of dollars for the project, the university's transportation department needed to demonstrate increased ridership and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. |Fox News
The idea is to charge the university's electric buses while they are on the move or at rest, using wireless chargers embedded in the asphalt, rather than when they are parked overnight, according to UCLA Fleet and Transit. Director Clinton Bench said: He told Fast Company magazine. He added that the university is “committed to being a testing ground for new technologies.”
Although the technology could be expensive to implement, Bench said inductive charging could be cost-competitive with standard EV chargers. A thin charging coil can be added and connected when the road is scheduled for resurfacing. Receptors can also be added to electric cars to communicate with them and charge them with electricity.
UCLA is hosting the Olympic Village for the 2028 Olympic Games and will need to transport approximately 15,000 athletes each day within the Los Angeles area.
Inductive wireless charging infrastructure on the streets of Detroit, Michigan, November 2023. (UCLA transportation is via CalSTA)
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“The innovations demonstrated in this project have the potential to benefit the entire state if applied to more transportation electrification projects, so they are interesting and a consideration in award selection.” CalSTA stated in the award summary.
