The world’s first electrified road, which is capable of recharging electric vehicle batteries as they drive on it, has opened near Stockholm, Sweden.
The road is around 2km long, and features an electric rail which is capable of recharging electric vehicle batteries. Sweden’s national road authorities have already planned for further expansion as part of its wider ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% in the transport sector.
Sweden has declared a target of achieving complete independence from fossil fuels by 2030, and the electrified road technology has been trialled in other areas to ensure its viability as part of the country’s overall electric vehicle infrastructure. The new road services a key logistics link between the city of Stockholm and Stockholm Arlanda airport.
How does the technology work?
The road contains an electrified rail which is divided into 50m sections, which are only powered when a vehicle drives over them, a feature which is vital for energy efficiency. A movable arm attached to each vehicle connects with the two tracks of rail, and facilitates the flow of electricity needed for recharging electric vehicle batteries.
If the vehicle overtakes another, the arm can automatically and safely disconnect from the rail. The system is also capable of calculating a vehicle’s energy consumption, so that energy costs can be debited directly to each vehicle as part of a monthly bill.
What are the plans to expand the project?
Hans Säll, chief executive of the eRoadArlanda consortium, which is responsible for the project, told The Guardian that it would not be necessary to electrify all of the country’s 500,000km of road in order to make the project viable.
He explained: “If we electrify 20,000km of highways that will definitely be enough. The distance between two highways is never more than 45km and electric cars can already travel that distance without needing to be recharged. Some believe it would be enough to electrify 5,000km.”
If the technology is widely implemented, it would allow for smaller batteries in electric vehicles because they would not be required to store as much charge. This in turn would lower battery manufacturing costs, making the expansion of electric vehicles more viable.
