Arena of the Future, a Pilot with ElectReon, Stellantis and Iveco to assess the potential of wireless EV charging

It’s called Arena of the Future a Pilot project in Italy aimed at demonstrating how a toll-road can be transformed into a charging asset for all road users. In terms of infrastructure, the closed ring road, named Arena of the Future, is located near the Chiari Ovest exit of the A35 Brebemi motorway, approximately 50 kilometres from the city of Milan.

Thanks to the potential of the technology provided by ElectReon, a hi-tech company from Israel, a 1,050 metre asphalt ring road will be fed by 1MW of power for the wireless recharge of electric vehicles.

Who’s joined the Arena of the Future Pilot

Back in November 2020, ElectReon and Societa’ di Progetto Brebemi signed a MoU. Now, also IVECO and Stellantis have joined the project. It means that the two manufacturers will supply a wide range of vehicles ready for wireless charging via ElectReon’s systems. The Israeli company also stated that «the group participating in the Pilot includes a range of other Italian and international corporations, including ABB, Mapei, TIM Business, FIAMM Energy Technology, Pizzarotti, Prysmian Group and leading Italian research institutions, including the Politecnico di Milano, University of Parma, and Roma Tre University».

Demonstrate the viability of wireless charging technologies

«We are honoured to be the technology partner of yet another European consortium of world class partners, including automotive giants Iveco and Stellantis, to demonstrate the viability of wireless charging technologies to power Electric Road Systems (ERS)», said Oren Ezer, CEO of ElectReon. «The Arena of the Future project will demonstrate how a toll-road can be transformed into a charging asset for all road users. With Europe at the forefront of this electric mobility shift, there is a critical need for assets that can be supported by suitable, efficient and sustainable charging methodologies. ElectReon’s wireless charging technology enables vehicles to charge as they drive at any speed on electric highways, offers road users total convenience and increased affordability, equips governments and policymakers with a sustainable way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout the entire life cycle of electric vehicles (EVs) and offers a viable path to expedite achieving net carbon emissions throughout the entire transportation sector».

IoT communications applications

ElectReon also intends to examine and various IoT (Internet of Things) communications applications which increase the safety and efficiency of vehicles which wirelessly charge from toll roads, as well as the optimization of various methods to deploy the charging infrastructure on the road which ensure the wireless charging system is able to properly work over an extended period of time.