Port of Karlsruhe

Wireless electric charging infrastructure for German roads

In August 2020, Electreon announced, in coordination with its European infrastructure and urban development partner Eurovia (a Vinci company), its first wireless Electric Road System (ERS) project in Germany to power a bus line connecting the new EnBW training centre in Karlsruhe's Rhine harbour to the local public transport system hub. The client, EnBW, is one of Germany's largest energy and electric mobility providers.

The project will focus on electrifying the road that spans the EnBW training centre in the Port of Karlsruhe to the local public transport system. An electric public bus operates during peak times to demonstrate the viability of the technology as part of Electreon’s signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with road construction company Eurovia for use in France, Belgium and elsewhere in Germany. The Higer e-bus is being operated by VBK, the Karlsruhe Transport Company, the municipal transport company of the city of Karlsruhe. Technical support for the bus is being provided by Chariot Motors, Higer’s distributor in Europe. The road work was done by Eurovia and electric work by Omexom, both subsidiaries of Vinci.

Port of Karlsruhe results

The initial project phase was installed in a 100-meter section of electric roadway at the EnBW campus near the Port of Karlsruhe.

  • After successful testing, the project has goals to expand into an expanded phase to include an additional 500-meter section of ERS directly into the city of Karlsruhe.
  • This potential second phase, if implemented, will focus on Electreon’s metering and billing operations technology, which will also include the addition of a passenger EV and light commercial vehicle (LCV) .
  • With this project in Karlsruhe, Electreon has expanded the number of vehicle platforms utilizing its receiver technology from the same system at the same time, including an e-bus, e-van, and passenger EV. 

Project Details

  • Construction start date: August 2020
  • Operation start date: Early 2021
  • Project status: Live
  • Application: Urban public transportation
  • Vehicle type: Electric bus with a lithium-ion battery, passenger EV, LCV
  • Roadway length: First phase: 100 meters of ERS and a wireless charging station for stationary charging. Potential second phase: 500 meters of additional ERS

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