42 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 

W

hen we look outside of 
the United States for new 
technology, especially for 
mobility technology, there are really 
only two places that have the technology 
applicable to the use cases that we have 
here,
” said Trevor Pawl, chief mobility 
officer for the state of Michigan.
“The first is Europe, and the second 
is Israel. It’s remarkable that Israel is the 
second market because of how small 
the country is population wise and 
geography wise,
” Pawl said after speaking 
at the EcoMotion international mobility 
conference in Tel Aviv.
Considering that Detroit is the epicenter 
of America’s automotive scene — the 
birthplace of vehicle manufacturing, as well 
as infrastructure such as traffic lights and 
lane markings — it’s significant that the 
state is looking to Israel for innovation in 
that sector.
While Israelis don’t have a history 
of car manufacturing, Pawl said, “they 
have a history of software engineering.
” 
And that’s key, he said, because “the 
automotive industry is being driven by 
four foundational platforms: autonomous 
technology, electric technology, shared 
technology and connected technology.
”
All of which are Israeli areas of expertise.

IN-ROAD CHARGING
One joint project is with Israel-
based Electreon, to build America’s first 
wireless charging road for electric vehi-
cles.
“We’re seeing Israeli companies come 
in and help us solve problems, but also 
help us realize that the horizon for future 
technology being integrated into the real 
world isn’t as far off as we think. And the 
perfect example of that is Electreon,” Pawl 
said.
“Once we saw other Electreon deploy-
ments in Sweden and in Israel, we knew 
that Electreon was a company that we 
wanted to work with in Michigan,” he 
added.
“
As transportation infrastructure is 
being reinvented and we have money 
from the federal government to reinvent 
it, we are looking at what else could we 
do, aside from creating charging stations, 
to help fleet operators transition from 
diesel to electric. And one of those things 
is not having to wait half an hour at a 
charging station,” he explained.
“We believe that Electreon’s technology 
will allow for continuous loops for things 
like delivery vans and transit vehicles. 
We’re deploying the first mile of road that 
charges a vehicle as it’s in motion right 

here in Detroit, to go live next year. I’m 
almost certain that it’s not going to be the 
last mile,” he said.

KINETIC CHARGING
Michigan may also do business with ZOOZ 
Power (formerly Chakratec), an Israeli 
company whose Kinetic Power Booster 
(KPB), based on innovative flywheel tech-
nology, can provide ultra-fast charging net-
works for electric vehicles.
“
As we build out our EV charging net-
work in Michigan, where much of the pop-
ulation is in the lower part of the state, we 
have some unique challenges with the grid,
” 
Pawl said.
“This company has a contraption that is 
able to create its own kinetic energy, then 
make up the difference in that portion of 

BUSINESS

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELECTREON

Road to the Future
Why Israel is driving mobility innovation in Michigan.

ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN JNS.ORG

A delegation from Michigan at the 2022 EcoMotion international mobility conference in Tel Aviv.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHIGAN ISRAEL BUSINESS ACCELERATOR.

