Charging in the fast lane: test track for inductive charging of electric vehicles

Inductive charging of electric vehicles while driving will be tested in future on the A6 highway in the direction of Nuremberg, just a few minutes from the Oberpfälzer Alb Nord service area. The project, called E|MPOWER, is being led by the Chair of Factory Automation and Production Systems (FAPS) at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). The FAU researchers, in collaboration with Autobahn GmbH des Bundes, Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm, VIA IMC, Electreon and Risomat, want to research how the electrification of heavy goods vehicles can be technically and economically integrated in this way. The Bavarian State Minister of Science and the Arts Markus Blume and the Bavarian State Minister of the Interior, Sport and Integration Joachim Herrmann gave the go-ahead for the test track, which is several hundred meters long, on 6 June 2025.inductive charging of electric vehicles while driving will be tested on the A6 towards Nuremberg in the future. Two universities from the Nuremberg metropolitan region are involved in the innovative project.

"Charging in the fast lane - a kilometer full of e-power: the E|MPOWER project, led by FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, is making it possible for the first test vehicles to charge directly on the A6 while driving. We are paving the way for e-mobility in the truest sense of the word. Until now, the path was the goal - from now on, the path is the power - and it comes from Bavaria! One thing is clear: inductive charging can be a real game changer for e-mobility. The efficiency is over 90 percent and we can achieve completely unimagined possibilities. Range problems are solved." - Bavaria's Minister of Science Markus Blume

"The first test track in the whole of Germany for inductive charging of (test) electric vehicles here in Bavaria shows once again: Bavaria is moving full speed ahead towards the future! FAU has once again demonstrated its skills and expertise and cooperated with the federal government's Autobahn GmbH on the E|MPOWER pilot project. The results are impressive. With every new important and forward-looking project at this university, it makes me prouder to have been a student there myself. As local government minister, it also makes me very proud to have this first test track in our beautiful Upper Palatinate. The A6 is ideally suited for this. Between the Sulzbach-Rosenberg and Amberg-West junctions in the direction of Nuremberg, the vision of the Free State of Bavaria can be realized very well: an efficient, environmentally friendly transport infrastructure. The whole of Germany is listening to the fact that Bavaria is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to ‘alternative drive systems’ and going into practice and testing them." - Bavaria's Minister of the Interior Joachim Herrmann

"We are delighted to be part of this visionary project. Our thanks go to all our partners for their excellent cooperation. The dynamic, inductive charging of electric vehicles is changing the way we look at modern mobility - when commuting, traveling and in everyday life. E|MPOWER stands for the future of sustainable mobility and the innovative strength of our university. FAU puts research on the road - where it makes an impact." - FAU President Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger 

First road tests in the second half of the year

The first road tests on the newly inaugurated test track with specially equipped vehicles are planned for the second half of the year. Prof. Dr. Florian Risch, Professor of Assembly Technologies for Electrical Energy Storage at the FAPS, explains: "One of the things we are interested in during the tests is how efficient the system actually is and how induction coils can be efficiently manufactured and automatically installed on the road. Thanks to the test track, we are gaining important practical knowledge and scientifically sound data for optimized systems on the infrastructure and vehicle side." The necessary coils are currently being integrated into the road surface. Subsequent technical tests will ensure that the coil configuration has been installed correctly.

How does dynamic inductive charging work?

E|MPOWER aims to charge electric vehicles wirelessly while driving and parking. Coils are installed in the road surface for this purpose. This would make the search for charging points obsolete and the worry that the battery will fail prematurely would be a thing of the past. As an alternative to hydrogen cars or those with megawatt charging systems, e-cars could always be supplied with sufficient energy thanks to the coils in the road surface. Specifically, the coils generate a magnetic field in the road. As soon as a car drives over it, the magnetic field induces a voltage in the counter-coil installed in the vehicle. Unlike electrified roads with overhead lines, this technology can be integrated invisibly into traffic surfaces, so that both trucks and cars can benefit from it.

No need to worry: induction coils are safe

The E|MPOWER technology is designed to interact exclusively with specially equipped vehicles. For all others, the track remains passive. Even in equipped vehicles, appropriate shielding ensures that international safety standards for magnetic fields are complied with.No need to worry: induction coils are harmless