Indiana has become the first state in the United States to wirelessly charge a heavy-duty electric truck at full highway speed. This milestone was achieved on a quarter-mile stretch of concrete pavement along U.S. Highway 52/231 in West Lafayette.
Developed through a partnership between the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and Purdue University, the project established a real-world test bed for next-generation electric truck charging infrastructure. Engineers embedded Purdue-designed transmitter coils directly beneath the concrete pavement before applying a standard roadway surface.
During testing, a Cummins prototype Class 8 battery-electric semi traveled over the segment at 65 miles per hour while receiving power wirelessly. The system delivered approximately 190 kilowatts of energy to the truck in motion.
To put that into perspective, Purdue Professor Steve Pekarek noted that 200 kilowatts is roughly equivalent to the power consumption of 100 average homes. Achieving that level of energy transfer at highway speed represents a significant advancement in roadway electrification.
The technology behind this system is known as dynamic wireless power transfer (dWPT). While the concept is similar to wireless charging used for consumer electronics, it operates at a much larger scale and power level.
The system relies on magnetic induction. Transmitter coils installed beneath the pavement generate an electromagnetic field, which transfers energy to a receiver coil mounted on the underside of the vehicle. As the truck moves over the electrified segment, it continuously receives power.
Purdue’s design simplifies the system by using a single receiver coil rather than multiple smaller coils. This approach reduces complexity while improving efficiency and scalability.
The coils are embedded approximately two to two-and-a-half inches below the pavement surface, allowing the roadway to maintain standard performance characteristics while supporting advanced charging capabilities.
This integration of infrastructure and energy delivery highlights how roadway materials and design play a critical role in enabling emerging transportation technologies.
This advancement is the result of a multi-year collaboration that began in 2018 through Purdue University’s Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP).
INDOT has invested approximately $11 million into the project, working alongside a group of public and private partners that includes Cummins, Inc., AECOM, White Construction Inc., and PC Krause and Associates.
Purdue is also a founding member of ASPIRE, the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center focused on Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification.
This collaboration reflects a broader effort across Indiana to combine academic research, public investment, and private-sector expertise to solve complex infrastructure challenges.
While other states have explored wireless charging for passenger vehicles, Indiana’s U.S. 52 project represents the first deployment designed specifically for highway conditions and heavy-duty vehicles.
Michigan’s Department of Transportation previously introduced a publicly accessible wireless EV road in Detroit, but that installation focused on urban, lower-speed environments.
Indiana’s system addresses a more complex challenge: delivering high-power energy transfer to Class 8 trucks traveling at highway speeds. This makes it one of the most advanced and relevant real-world applications of wireless charging technology in the United States today.
The electrification of heavy-duty trucking has long been constrained by one primary factor: the battery.
Electric Class 8 trucks require large battery packs to achieve ranges of 250 to 300 miles. These batteries add significant weight, increase upfront costs, and limit payload capacity—factors that have slowed widespread adoption.
Dynamic wireless charging has the potential to change that.
By allowing trucks to charge while in motion, dWPT systems reduce reliance on large onboard batteries. Vehicles can operate with smaller, lighter battery packs while maintaining consistent energy levels during operation.
As Professor John Haddock of Purdue’s Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering explained:
“A lot of that cost in electric vehicles is driven by the size of the battery packs. With this system, you’d be able to drive your vehicle down the road and it would charge the battery.”
For fleet operators, this technology introduces several potential advantages:
Perhaps most importantly, dynamic charging opens the door to making long-haul and heavy-haul electrification commercially viable for the first time.
Following the success of the U.S. 52 test segment, Purdue and INDOT are focused on expanding and standardizing the technology. Key next steps include:
The long-term goal is to electrify a section of an Indiana interstate within the next four to five years.
Because the system is designed to support multiple vehicle types, from passenger vehicles to Class 8 trucks; it offers a scalable solution that could support broader transportation infrastructure needs.
This advancement is not only about vehicles. It is about infrastructure.
The success of dynamic wireless charging depends on the ability to integrate advanced technology into durable, high-performing roadway systems. Concrete pavement plays a critical role in this process, providing the structural strength and longevity required to support embedded systems under heavy traffic conditions.
As Indiana continues to invest in transportation innovation, the intersection of infrastructure, materials, and technology will become increasingly important.
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