Metro Detroit Could See Country's First Wireless Charging Road

METRO DETROIT — A one-mile road stretch somewhere in Macomb, Oakland or Wayne County could allow electric drivers to charge their vehicle while driving.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer revealed Michigan's intention to build the nation's first wireless charging road for electric vehicles Tuesday morning at Motor Bella.

"Michigan was home to the first mile of paved road, and now we’re paving the way for the roads of tomorrow with innovative infrastructure the will support the economy and the environment, helping us achieve our goal of carbon neutrality by 2050," Whitmer said.

It's unclear how the technology would work or how much it would cost, but the Michigan Department of Transportation will release a Request for Proposal on Sept. 28.

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Not only is the wireless charging road an opportunity to provide a pathway for the future of electric mobility, but Trevor Pawl, the Chief Mobility Officer with the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification said it can also make our roads safer by enhancing the production of autonomous vehicles.

"We’re in the midst of the most significant shift in the automotive industry since the Model T rolled off the assembly line more than a century ago, and Michigan is once setting the course manufacturing the vehicles of the future and deploying charging solutions that make EV adoption more widely available," Pawl said.

"This electrified roadway has the potential to accelerate autonomous vehicles at scale and turn our streets into safe, sustainable, accessible and shared transportation platforms," he added.