GabySwedish engineers have designed a unique electric highway. It will be built on a 13-kilometer stretch of the European route E20, between Hallsberg and Örebro.
The Swedes decided to create an innovative road for dynamic charging of electric cars after the European Union passed a crucial environmental law. According to this law, starting in 2035, all new cars sold must have zero carbon emissions.
Jan Pettersson, the Director of Strategic Development at the Swedish Transport Administration, noted that the electrification of highways is essential for “decarbonizing the transport sector.”
The project is currently in the procurement stage. The electrified road will be fully operational by 2025.
In 2018, Sweden tested the world’s first charging section of road, measuring 1.6 km in length. It connected Stockholm-Arlanda Airport with a logistics complex in Rosersberg.
Advantages of the new highway
The project will help preserve the environment. Thanks to the new highway, the use of fossil fuels will take a back seat and eventually become a technological relic.
The electrified road will also save drivers time, as they won’t spend it at gas stations. Furthermore, according to experts’ conclusions, the combination of dynamic charging with stationary charging will allow for a 70 percent reduction in the size of the car’s battery.
Passenger and cargo vehicles will be able to charge while traveling through the central part of the country. Along this route, there are three major cities in Sweden: Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö.
So far, the final method for charging cars on highways has not been determined. Specialists are considering three types of charging systems: contact, inductive, and conductive.
The contact system can be used for large trucks. This system involves the use of overhead wires, similar to those used to supply electricity to buses and trams, the publication reported. Daily Mail .
The conductive system works like a wireless charger for smartphones. Electric vehicles receive energy from a platform or plate on the road.
Meanwhile, the inductive charging system uses equipment hidden beneath the road surface. From there, the control module transmits electricity to the car’s charging receiver.
By 2045, Sweden plans to electrify three thousand kilometers of roads. Currently, specialists in the country are actively collaborating with their German and French counterparts, conducting joint research and exchanging experiences. Sweden and Germany already have demonstration projects on public roads, while France is one step away from creating an experimental section of an electric highway.
