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.