World’s first electric road opens in Sweden

Sweden just opened on the E16 in Sandviken a test electric road of two kilometres, which allows electric vehicles to connect to an overhead system similar to light rail.

The country is one of the first in the world to test electric power for heavy transports on public roads, and this initiative will help reach Sweden’s target of operating a fossil-free fleet.

Trucks will run on electric power while they are on the electric road – working in a similar way to a light rail system with a pantograph connecting the truck to the power lines overhead, and operate as hybrid vehicles while on regular roads.

The hybrid trucks –supplied by the automotive company Scania –also run on biofuel, and when on the electric roads, are enabled to run on completely clean energy and require less time to recharge.

The electrification of roads is said to result in sizable fuel savings.

Swedish Transport Administration Director General Lena Erixon said: “Electric roads will bring us one step closer to fossil fuel-free transports, and has the potential to achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions. This is one way of developing environmentally smart transports in the existing road network. It could be a good supplement to today’s road and rail network.”

In order to see the new technology work in a real-life scale, the testing with the E16 road will continue until 2018.

The project is co-ordinated by Region Gävleborg and financed by organisations including the Swedish transport administration, Sweden’s energy and sustainable agencies, Scania and Siemens (who will participate due to developing the conductive technology).

Swedish Energy Agency Director-General Erik Brandsma said: “Electric roads are one more piece of the puzzle in the transport system of the future, especially for making the heavy transport section fossil fuel-free over the long term.”