Sweden is working on creating the world’s first permanently electrified road on a highway, for dynamic charging of cars and trucks. The chosen motorway, European route E20, connects logistic hubs between Hallsberg and Örebro. The project is currently under procurement and is expected to be built by 2025.
Jul 6, 2023
Sweden is aiming to turn a highway into a permanently electrified road, where cars and trucks can recharge while driving. This first of its kind road in the world has been pioneered by Sweden through several pilot projects including the world’s first temporary electric road. Experts say dynamic charging allows them to travel longer distances with smaller batteries, and to avoid waiting at charging stations.
The chosen motorway, European route E20, connects logistic hubs between Hallsberg and Örebro, located in the middle of the country’s three major cities, Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. The project is still at the procurement stage and is expected to be built by 2025.
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Though the charging method for E20 has not been decided yet, there are three types of charging: catenary system, conductive (ground-based) system, and inductive system. The catenary system uses overhead wires to provide electricity to a special kind of bus or tram and therefore can only be used for heavy-duty vehicles. Conductive charging, on the other hand, works both for heavy-duty vehicles and private cars as long as there is a conduction system such as a rail. The vehicles are charged through a stick that touches the rail. The inductive charging system uses special equipment buried underneath the road that sends electricity to a coil in the electric vehicle. The coil in the vehicle then uses that electricity to charge the battery. In addition to this, while much of the Electric Road System (ERS) focuses on trucks, studies have also suggested that private cars could benefit.
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Researchers have also shared that not all roads need to be electrified, with only 25 percent electrified roads the system can work. However, researchers have pointed out the ERS may not be utilized by everyone. With plans to have an expansion of a further 3,000 km of electric road by 2045, Sweden has partnered with Germany and France to exchange experience through authority and research collaborations on electric roads.
