Winduction, an ETH Zurich spin-off, is developing a system that transfers electricity from a plate embedded in the road to pickup coils inside a specially designed bus tyre. When a bus stops with its wheel over the plate, the coils couple magnetically and send power to the vehicle battery. It is opportunity charging at stops—not charging continuously as the bus drives.
How charging through a bus tyre works
The system’s name, Winduction, refers to “wheel-based induction.” A grid-connected plate in the road contains transmitter coils; a custom tyre contains pickup coils. Position a wheel over the plate and its magnetic field transfers energy across the short gap. The wheel system then relays that energy to the bus battery. ETH Zurich’s October 2026 account describes a first prototype and the system’s intended operation.
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Winduction’s technology lead, Sylvain Fricker, explained the design choice this way: “In any vehicle, the only thing that’s always in contact with the ground are the wheels.” The wheel is already close to the road, so putting the receiver there can reduce the separation that an underbody wireless receiver must bridge.
Why the tyre has to be specially designed
Ordinary bus tyres contain steel belts. ETH reports that steel would interact with the system’s magnetic field and turn power into heat, so Winduction is working with partners on a steel-free tyre. That makes the tyre part of the charging system, rather than a routine replacement component: a standard tyre is not established as compatible.
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In a March 2026 interview, CEO and co-founder Laurin Schwitter described selectively activating transmitters directly beneath a wheel: “The idea is simple: there are lots of small transmitters in the ground. We selectively activate only those that are directly beneath the wheel.” That earlier interview also said the detailed transfer from the wheel into the vehicle was then a trade secret. ETH’s later October report supplies the tyre-coil explanation; the two accounts refer to different stages of disclosure.
What the reported efficiency figure means
ETH reports Winduction system ground-to-vehicle efficiency of over 90%: in that boundary, less than 10% of the power fed through the ground plate is lost before reaching the vehicle. This is a reported system figure, not an independently validated fleet result, and it does not describe total grid-to-wheel efficiency or the full battery charging cycle.
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Where development and pilot plans stand
In a report published 5 October 2026, ETH said Winduction was building a test lab and a test stop in Winterthur, with support from Switzerland’s Federal Office of Transport and the Swiss Climate Foundation. The founders planned a first passenger-service pilot in 2028 and were in discussions with Swiss transport operators. That is a target, not an operating pilot or a confirmed route or operator.
What the route example does—and does not—show
ETH cites a calculation for a Zurich Airport–Oerlikon route: charging plates at two of its 24 stops and three hours of total charging over 16 hours of operation. The page’s English wording around the 16-hour period is incomplete, so the figure should be read as an illustrative route calculation, not a settled operating plan. ETH says buses on the line currently charge simultaneously for five hours overnight.
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The example illustrates the intended logic: add energy during scheduled stops, potentially allowing a bus to use a smaller battery. It does not establish that every route needs only two plates, that three hours of charging will suit other schedules, or that a smaller battery will deliver a particular cost saving.
How Winduction differs from other in-route charging
Charging buses during service is not new. Geneva’s TOSA system uses a physical mechanical arm to connect buses to charging stations, with energy storage on the roof. The Swiss federal project record describes 20-second station charges and a four-to-five-minute terminal charge; operator tpg says TOSA has operated on Line 23 since 2018 and lists 13 route flash stations, three terminal stations, and four depot stations.
| System | Vehicle-side connection | Charging infrastructure |
|---|---|---|
| Winduction | Inductive pickup coils in a custom tyre | Transmitter-coil plate embedded in the road |
| TOSA | Physical mechanical arm; roof-mounted energy storage | Charging stations along the route, at terminals, and in depots |
These are different architectures, not evidence that one is better. A fleet decision would depend on stop locations and dwell times, route geometry, vehicle and tyre integration, infrastructure costs, battery requirements, measured efficiency, and whole-life cost data.
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Winduction presents smaller batteries, less infrastructure expense, and lower lifetime route costs as potential benefits. ETH says company calculations indicate possible savings, while a feasibility study with operators was still quantifying route-specific results. The available reporting gives no precise, independently established savings figure.
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