The first electric scooter-sharing operator has signed an agreement with Elssway, a Tel Aviv-based company that has developed a wireless charging system for scooters and light vehicles, similar to the system developed by ElectReon for heavy vehicles, buses, and private cars while parked or in motion.

The company has already signed contracts to install wireless charging infrastructure in Herzliya as part of a pilot program in cooperation with the municipality and its economic company, as well as at the Tel Aviv University train station and other train stations in the city. The company already has an agreement with one of the scooter-sharing operators in Israel, and it is in talks with additional companies in the sector. Wireless charging saves companies the need to send workers and maintain a fleet of vehicles to replace batteries in devices parked on the streets, or to collect them for charging elsewhere.

Elssway is a start-up operating within the CityZone innovation lab in the Atidim Park in Tel Aviv. Another target audience for the company is food delivery companies that use electric scooters.

The company’s solution is based on thin conductors embedded in the ground that transmit wireless energy to a receiver installed at the bottom of the vehicle. The vehicle charges automatically when it is parked in the charging zone – without cables, without manual docking, and without the need for human intervention. A central control system continuously monitors the battery status.

Assaf Alsivoni founder and CEO of Elssway, said: “We are pleased about the launch of the pilot, which presents a first-of-its-kind solution to the micro-mobility challenge in large cities. The system we developed enables automatic wireless charging, which prevents the blockage of sidewalks by operational vehicles and significantly reduces the safety risks associated with charging batteries without supervision. The upcoming deployment in Herzliya and Tel Aviv will be the next step in making this infrastructure an integral part of the smart street.”