INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith was joined by Purdue University President Mung Chiang and Cummins Inc. for a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon to mark the start of construction on a first-of-its-kind segment of roadway designed to charge electric heavy-duty and passenger vehicles as they travel at highway speeds. The quarter-mile segment is located on U.S. 52/231 between Cumberland Avenue and Lindberg Road in West Lafayette.
“INDOT prides itself on being a leader in innovation,” said INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith. “It’s exciting to think about the potential of this technology as we look toward the future of transportation, and more specifically, freight and logistics, in Indiana. I want to thank Purdue and Cummins for their continued partnership on this and other advancements.”
The ceremony was held at INDOT’s West Lafayette subdistrict office near the project site. Research and testing began in partnership with Purdue in 2018, including the assessment of technical and financial feasibility of electric roadways in Indiana, test bed design and understanding the interaction between the embedded power transfer technology and pavement structure.
Construction on the $11 million segment of U.S. 52/231 is expected to continue through the fall. The power transfer technology is anticipated to become active in spring of 2025.
For more information on the dynamic wireless power transfer project, visit INDOT’s website.