SALT LAKE CITY — A University of Utah (UofU) wirelessly-charged electric bus designed by a Utah State University (USU) spin-out company, WAVE (Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification) made its ceremonial debut on Wednesday, running though parts of downtown Salt Lake City and the UofU campus, HJNews.com reported.

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WAVE-powered buses are charged wirelessly from a charging pad embedded in the roadbed and another identical pad mounted underneath the bus.

The bus, which has been operational for about three months, currently runs in the morning from a bus station in Salt Lake City to University Hospital as well as an additional route on the UofU campus.

WAVE wants to expand routes to a “central location” through campus, but that won’t be complete until 2015, according to the report.

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) partnered with WAVE to complete the project after receiving a $2,6 million federal grant.  WAVE and the University of Utah purchased a Zero Emission Propulsion System (ZEPS) bus from Complete Coach Works with non-grant funding, in addition to WAVE further funding development of the technology and execution of the project.

“This launch is a key moment in our short history, marking a culmination of years of hard work to develop, finance and build a 50 kW wireless charging system,” said Michael Masquelier, WAVE CEO and Chief Technology Officer. “We’re excited to officially demonstrate how this technology has set a new benchmark that will change the transit industry in America and around the world.”

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