Detroit Tests the Nation’s First Public EV Charging Street

A quarter mile of roadway in Detroit now doubles as a charger for electric vehicles, reports Brian Iselin in Men’s Journal.

The nation’s first public EV-charging road, 14th Street was retrofitted with copper coils a few inches below the pavement that feed power to EVs as they drive over them. As Iselin explains, “A compatible EV carries a receiver plate; when the vehicle rolls over an energized coil, the two talk to each other and energy jumps the air gap, topping up the battery at up to roughly 15–16 kW while the driver just…drives.”

For now, only cars equipped with specialized plates can use the road to charge. But the project paves — no pun intended — the way to smaller, cheaper, and lighter EVs that can charge as they drive. “Analysts around the project told the Detroit News that the long game is strategic corridors—bus routes, freight lanes, airport links—where pavement itself keeps vehicles topped up.”

According to Iselin, “If projects like this spread to commuter loops and highway ramps, your next EV can be cheaper, lighter, and a lot less stressful on long trips because the road is doing part of the work.”