California taxpayers pay nearly $20M for wireless charging project at UCLA

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Wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging is coming to the streets of a California university with a high rate that taxpayers are paying a large portion of.
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is partnering with CALSTART and Electreon Wireless, Inc. to implement the charging infrastructure component of the “UCLA/Westwood Zero Emission Transit Service Expansion: Deploying Wireless Charging at Scale” project, according to documents from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA).
The project has a total budget of just over $34,950,000 of which $19,850,000 has been awarded to the state.
“Approximately $20 million in federal funding comes from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital program, which is funded by two primary sources – 10% of statewide revenue and commercial auctions, and a portion of the Transit Development Fund collected during vehicle registrations,” the statement said. of CalSTA on FOX Business.
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An Electreon diagram shows how wireless charging will work on UCLA’s BruinBus. (Electreon via UCLA Transportation)
A ticker | Security | Finally | Change | change % |
---|---|---|---|---|
ELWSF | ELECTRON WIRELESS | 64 | +6.00 |
+ 10.34% |
“This project was selected through an extensive review process that included a technical committee from many government agencies and departments, as well as an executive selection committee, before being awarded to the Secretary of Transportation,” the statement added.
For a project to be awarded funding, it must show evidence of increased ridership and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, CalSTA said.
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UCLA’s BruinBus is seen on the campus road. The university’s Department of Transportation had to demonstrate increased ridership and reduced emissions in order to be awarded millions for the project. | Fox News
The idea is to charge the university’s electric buses while driving and at stops, using wireless chargers embedded in the asphalt, rather than parked overnight, UCLA Fleet and Transit director Clinton Bench told Fast Company magazine, adding that the university is “committed to being a proving ground for new technologies.”
Although installing the technology can be expensive, Bench says inductive charging can be competitive with conventional EV charging costs. Thin charging coils can be added and connected when roads are to be rewired, and receptors can be added to electric vehicles to connect and charge.
UCLA is hosting the Olympic Village for the 2028 Olympic Games, which will require the daily transportation of about 15,000 athletes to the Los Angeles area.

Wireless charging infrastructure on display on a street in Detroit, Michigan, in November 2023. (UCLA Transportation via CalSTA)
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“The innovative approach demonstrated in this project is of interest because it has the potential to benefit the entire state if it is used among many transportation electrification projects, considered in award selection,” CalSTA said in its award summary.
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