A new electrified road in Sweden has just opened, which its creators say is the first road of its kind to allow both commercial and passenger vehicles to be recharged while driving.
The eRoadArland is based on conductive technology that uses an electric rail installed in the road itself.
Its creators said it is both sustainable and cost-effective, and will allow existing public roads to be electrified and help to create a future of fossil-free road transport.
It works by transferring energy to the vehicle from the rail through a movable arm. The arm detects the location of the rail in the road and as long as the vehicle is above the rail, the contact will be in a lowered position.
Approximately two kilometres of electric rail have been installed along public road 893, between the Arlanda Cargo Terminal and the Rosersberg logistics area outside Stockholm.
Hans Säll, chairman of the eRoadArlanda consortium and business development director at construction firm NCC, said: ‘One of the most important issues of our time is the question of how to make fossil-free road transportation a reality. We now have a solution that will make this possible, which is amazing. Sweden is at the cutting edge of this technology, which we now hope to introduce in other areas of the country and the world.’
Lena Erixon, director general of the Swedish Transport Administration (pictured left), said: ‘It is important to break new ground when it comes to climate-smart road transport. That’s why the Swedish Transport Administration supports innovative development projects that contribute to long-term, sustainable solutions.’
The road will be used by electric trucks developed as part of the project.
In 2016, the Swedish Government and other parties began a two-year trial of what they said was the world’s first ‘electric road’, which consists of 2km of overhead power lines on the E16 motorway to be used by trucks.
