World's first electrified road opens in Sweden
The world’s first electrified road, known as eRoadArlanda, has opened for the first time in Sweden. The eRoad recharges the batteries of cars and trucks driving on it.
The Swedish government has already drafted a national map for future expansion of eRoads, but for the moment they have laid bout 2km of electric rail embedded in a public road near Stockholm as the beginning of these plans.
Sweden has given itself a target of achieving independence from fossil fuel by 2030 which will require a 70% reduction in the transport sector.
The people behind the eRoadArlanda project are hoping to make electrified roads a reality. The solution is based on conductive technology that uses an electric rail installed in roads to power and recharge vehicles during their journey.
The project is a part of the Swedish Transport Administration’s pre-commercial procurement of innovation, through which we are developing and testing the technology.
The eRoad is to link Stockholm Arlanda airport cargo terminal to the Roserberg logistics area outside the capital city and the technology aims to solve the ongoing problem of keeping electric vehicles charged while out in the road.
Electrified-road transport cuts fossil emissions by 80 to 90 percent and is a climate-smart and inexpensive method of combining the advantages of rail with the flexibility of trucks. Operating costs will be minimal, due to significant reductions in energy consumption arising from the use of efficient electric engines.
Energy is transferred from two tracks of rail in the road via a movable arm attached to the bottom of a vehicle. The design is not dissimilar to that of a Scalextric track, although should the vehicle overtake, the arm is automatically disconnected.
Hans Säll, chairman of the eRoadArlanda consortium, which is responsible for the project said:
“One of the most important issues of our time is the question of how to make fossil-free road transportation a reality,”
Author
Justin Kavanagh
Justin Kavanagh is a recognised leader
in automotive intelligence and vehicle
data supply to the entire motor industry.
He has almost 20 years experience in
building systems from the ground up.
As the Managing Director of Vehicle
Management System, he understands the
need and importance of trustworthy and
reliable vehicle history and advice to
both the trade and the public.
Follow me on LinkedIn