A stretch of road in downtown Detroit can now wirelessly charge electric vehicles — a first in North America — and it's thanks in part to members of Detroit Local 58.

"This project speaks to our skill set and grasp of the groundbreaking technology," said Local 58 Business Representative Byron Osbern. "When our customer needed this done, they knew to call on us."

The road, about a mile from Local 58's hall, uses rubber-coated copper inductive-charging coils buried under the asphalt that transfer power to a receiver pad attached to a car's underbelly, much like how a phone can be charged wirelessly. The charging, which does not affect pedestrians or wildlife, can power an electric car whether it's parked (called static charging) or moving (dynamic charging). The road itself, about a quarter-mile long, looks like any other road and can be used by other cars.

Local 58 members provided field supervision and new electrical service to power the equipment, which came from startup company Electreon. They worked on installation of the distribution equipment, cable installation and termination, as well as the coils below the road and the charging-system cables.

It was a project that took a lot of coordination and planning, said Rauhorn Electric Project Manager Chris Korte. The conduit runs needed to be exact for the small-coil trenches and pre-cut charging cables that run from the road coils to the management system. The final day, which began at 4 a.m., was unique as it entailed installing 180 coils and pulling and terminating all the charging cables before any of the road work could start.

"It all needed to be done that day," Korte said. "System layout was critical."

The project took about two months and finished at the end of November. As often happens in the upper Midwest, the schedule was affected by inclement weather, but the crews completed everything on time.

"The IBEW played a pivotal role, from building the electrical infrastructure to meeting project timelines and providing all the heavy lifting on the final day," Korte said.

The stretch of road, a part of 14th Street in the Motor City's Corktown neighborhood, will be used to test the new technology in real-world conditions. Using a Ford E-Transit electric commercial van provided by Ford Motor Co. and equipped with the Electreon receiver, staff will test the efficiency and operations of the vehicle and study potential long-term public transportation opportunities.

The Michigan Department of Transportation is seeking bids to rebuild part of another road, U.S. 12, or Michigan Avenue, which will also have inductive charging installed. Osbern said Local 58 is a front-runner for that project, as well.

"The buzz around Detroit has been the renaissance of the Motor City as an electric vehicle hub, and this is one more piece of it," Osbern said. "It's been cool to watch us evolve."

Wireless charging, which is also being tested by Electreon in Europe, Israel and China, could be a boon for the EV car market by combating the "range anxiety" that some drivers experience on long trips if they're not near a charging station. It's also promising for public transit and commercial transportation like delivery vans and long-haul trucks. A vehicle that can charge on the go can use a smaller and cheaper battery without losing time at a charging station.

While this type of technology is new, IBEW members working on such an innovation is not. The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program, which has trained thousands of members in EV charging, is the preferred training program of the Biden administration, which has invested billions of dollars in EV infrastructure.

"IBEW Local 58 has shown our innovation and proven our forward thinking by cornering the market on EVITP-trained workers since the mid-2000s. Now it's our turn to show off the skill, ability and knowledge we possess," Business Manager Paul VanOss said. "When Detroit needs to electrify, our members are standing at the ready with tools and talent."

More than 150 families in a Philadelphia suburb found out what the IBEW stands for when they opened their doors to find teams of electricians and firefighters ready and eager to make sure every home had working smoke detectors.

As they've done for years on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, apprentice and journeyman volunteers from Philadelphia Local 98 joined the Norristown, Pa., Fire Department for a smoke-detector blitz Jan. 15, fanning out in an assigned neighborhood to check devices and install new ones wherever needed.

"It's a great way for us to be out in our communities, helping people and showing them what the IBEW is all about," said Jason Cary, a Local 98 business agent who led the union's team of volunteers, all sporting IBEW shirts.

Cary said nearly everyone welcomed volunteers into their homes, where they chatted with excited children about fire safety and with curious teenagers and young adults about becoming an IBEW apprentice.

"It's putting a good face on the union but also expanding our reach," said Local 98 Political Director Tom Lepera, who coordinates the local's end of the project. "Almost every time I've done this, I get asked about the IBEW and 'How do I apply?'"

Dedicated to a local 12-year-old boy who died in a house fire in 2016, the MLK Day blitz draws a variety of volunteers, who this year included students and unionized teachers. Norristown Fire Chief Tom O'Donnell is outwardly grateful to all of them.

But he said the department's bonds with the IBEW are especially strong, praising Local 98's invaluable help with the blitz and beyond — installing emergency lighting at a community center, for instance, and what he described as spectacular work overhauling subpar lighting at Montgomery County's memorial to fallen firefighters.

"It's longstanding, going back to when it was Local 380, before they were part of Local 98," O'Donnell said, referring to a 2015 merger. "They're unsung heroes. They're not doing it for notoriety. They work behind the scenes, using their skill set to make things better than they found them."

Those skills can come in handy during the blitz, he said, with electricians able to troubleshoot any wiring issues that interfere with replacing or installing alarms.

Local 98's contributions extend to providing supplies and many of the detectors — the double-duty variety, their ear-piercing shrieks alerting to not only smoke but also carbon monoxide.

"They show up with smoke detectors and step ladders and other equipment, and they even buy lunch," O'Donnell said. "Their generosity and other donations from the community make the blitz possible."

The project focuses on low-​income neighborhoods in Norristown, a suburb 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Studies show that households below the poverty line are most likely to have only one smoke detector. And it may or may not be working, a problem across income levels.

"At a minimum, we make sure there is at least one smoke alarm on every single level of a home," O'Donnell said.

An estimated 20% of American homes have broken detectors or units disabled by residents, often when smoke from the oven or stove triggers the alarm.

The consequences can be deadly: The National Fire Protection Association reports that three out of every five deaths in house fires are due to the absence of working smoke detectors, an average of 1,450 fatalities annually.

Local 98 Business Manager Mark Lynch said the Philadelphia area has had its share of such tragedies, inspiring IBEW volunteers not only in Norristown but also to accompany Philadelphia firefighters on similar missions.

"We get involved in all sorts of activities — food pantries, cleaning up parks, you name it," Lynch said. "But the opportunity to help our local fire departments get working smoke detectors in every home means we could be saving someone's life," he said.

Lynch and Lepera said going door to door to door in a struggling neighborhood also gives volunteers, especially apprentices, perspective.

"You realize how important your union is to you, how fortunate you are to be part of the IBEW and what is has provided for you and family," said Lepera, a lifelong Norristown resident and president of its Municipal Council.

Along the way, volunteers didn't hesitate to talk about their good fortune with anyone showing interest in the IBEW.

"They are very impressed when they ask about how much money we make and our benefits," Cary said. "But they're also impressed by the IBEW's inclusivity and how we help people in the area.

"I tell them that if they were to join the union, they'd have the opportunity to come out and help the community with us."