Wireless charging provider Electreon has signed an agreement with Electra Afikim, which operates some 1,400 buses on 450 lines in Israel. Electreon will provide Electra Afikim with wireless charging infrastructure that will enable simultaneous charging of 30 buses.
As part of the agreement Electreon will provide maintenance, support and operation services for the next 12 years.
This is the second commercial deal signed by Electreon in Israel. The company sold wireless charging services for 200 buses to the Dan bus company in October 2021.
Israel’s National Public Transportation Authority invested about $2.9 million in the project. Electreon is confident that the agency’s approval of wireless charging will allow other Israeli public transportation operators to duplicate the project and quickly advance green transportation in Israel.
Over the past weeks Electreon has announced several other international deals, including a development project with Finnish infrastructure services company Destia, a collaboration with wireless charging research center ASPIRE in Utah, and a wireless electric road project for trucks and buses in Gotland, Sweden.
“Since the transition to electrification depends on the allocation of infrastructure, powerful grid connections and prolonged bureaucracy, we were happy to partner with Electreon, which offers a more cost-effective and accessible alternative to charging electric buses,” said Oded Cohen, CEO of Electra Afikim. “Electra Afikim already operates 25 electric buses on unique BRT lines in the city of Ashdod, and strives to expand the use of green-energy buses.”
“2022 is Electreon’s year of transition from planning, development and construction of supply chains towards large-scale production and sales,” said Oren Ezer, CEO of Electreon. “The wireless static charging project signed with Electra Afikim is a model that the company intends to replicate in many cities around the world, along with dynamic wireless charging. These projects will allow the company to present the advantages of the technology, including reducing the size of the battery, extending the working time without compromising the way the buses operate, and distributing the power supply around the clock.”
Source: Electreon