The City of Angels is making a bold move towards the future of transportation. Ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics, hosted in Los Angeles, the city is set to build the nation's second-ever EV-charging roadway, an almost futuristic project that defines what the future of urban infrastructure will look like.
The project, based out of UCLA, will introduce wireless inductive charging technology along a half-mile stretch in Westwood. Embedded charging coils are placed underneath the road surface, allowing electric buses and vehicles to charge either while they drive or while they are stopped. For UCLA, this means a $20 million state grant.
Charging infrastructure is one of the great challenges of the EV future. While residential chargers may work for many, public charging stations may be inconvenient at times. Brand-new roadway technology offers a new, sustainable way to keep EVs powered.
The first U.S. inductive charging road opened in Detroit in late 2023, and has seen success since. LA's experiment will likely continue to push the precedent forward, creating a roadmap for other cities to follow, making charging roads a standard feature in quality city planning.
Will charging roads become the norm in major metro areas like LA, Chicago, and New York City? That remains to be seen, but LA's initiative is paving the way.