Sweden takes the lead in developing technologies for the transportation industry. Sometime ago, Siemens announced its electric highway technology that allows electric trucks move and charge at the same time in the Scandinavian country.
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| Siemens Electric Road, Sweden |
While this new technology may be similar to the Siemens electric highway, it differs in their nature of use. Siemens deploys an overhead charging system with the eRoadArlanda company deploys on-road charging system like a mono-rail system.
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| eRoadArlanda electric on-road charging system |
The "eRoad" as it may be called, charges electric vehicles via electrified tracks which are built into the middle of the road. The vehicle connects to the track via a moveable arm that's connected underneath the car or truck. The innovation is being trialled by Sweden's transport administration which is attempting to go fossil fuel free by 2030.
This is an effective way in administering sustainable road transport system with minimal costs. It also lowers the time spent in recharging the batteries of electric vehicles. Instead, the batteries can be charged as the vehicle is in transit. As vehicles
approach the track, a sensor from the car or truck detects the
electrified rail and the movable arm lowers from underneath the vehicle
and inserts into the rail. The arm has been designed to be flexible,
providing the car, or truck, the freedom to move around the road without
disconnecting.
"One of the most important issues of our
time is the question of how to make fossil-free road transportation a
reality," Hans Säll, chairman of the eRoadArlanda says. "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.
The
electrified road, a Swedish innovation, is the first of its kind in the
world and allows both commercial and passenger vehicles to be recharged
while driving. The track stretches along two kilometers
(1.2 miles) and has been installed on public road "893" just 30 minutes
outside of Stockholm. The eRoad has many advantages,
Säll says. If implemented it will mean electric vehicle batteries can be
smaller -- and therefore lighter -- because they won't need to retain
as much charge, the vehicles will then be cheaper to manufacture and
will ultimately be more sustainable.
For a heavy truck
to be 100% electric, he explains, it would need a battery that weighs 40
tonnes. But if technology like the eRoad was readily available, the
truck's battery would be able to weigh as little as 600 kilograms.
Electricity is transferred to vehicles via a movable arm that attaches to a track in the middle of the road. It would also fix a wider issue that many electric vehicle owners face: The worry and inconvenience of keeping vehicles charged.
"Today
you're not 100% sure how far you can go with your battery but if you
have a combination of electric roads you will feel a little bit more
confident that you'll get where you want to go," Säll says.
The
technology is also safe and adverse weather such as rain, snow and ice
should not cause any major issues thanks to draining and usual
maintenance. The electricity also isn't a risk to humans or animals.
"There's
no electricity at the surface and the rail is only electrified if an
actual authorized vehicle is passing, so if you don't have an electric
vehicle that's authorized to use the electricity, the electricity will
not be turned on at all -- it will not be on 24/7." There
will also be plenty of signage around the area indicating the road is
electrified and the system is equipped with safety circuits.
Säll
says while the new project cost €6.4 million ($7.7 million) to develop,
if it were more widely implemented across the country it would
eventually work out less than €1 million ($1.2 million) per kilometer to
build.
That is, if the government decides to implement it nationally. "The
Government wants to test one or two additional technologies ... that
will then be evaluated in two years or so, (and) after that they will
pick out one of those technologies (that have been tested) to build a
longer pilot stretch that will be between 20 and 40 kilometers," he
says.
For now, the eRoad will be used and trialled for
two years by a truck carrying freight in order to determine how well the
innovation works under various weather conditions and in conjunction
with normal road traffic.
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