A few weeks ago, Sweden inaugurated a road that recharges commercial and passenger vehicle batteries while driving. Named the eRoadArlanda project, the two-kilometer route was built outside Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, the country's capital.
Funded by the Swedish Transport Administration, the road supports the government's goal of establishing fossil-fuel-free transportation infrastructure by 2030. The technology allows the tracks to transfer energy to cars and trucks during their journey.
The electrified road operates as follows: energy is transferred to the vehicle via a movable arm attached to its undercarriage. This "arm" detects the electrified section and lowers onto it as the vehicle passes over. "There is no electricity on the surface. There are two tracks [in the road], just like an outlet in a wall. The electricity is five or six centimeters below," Hans Säll, chairman of the consortium behind the project, explained to The Guardian.
In the test model, the road is divided into 50-meter sections, each supplying power only when a vehicle is overhead. This automated system disconnects the current when the vehicle stops. It also calculates the vehicle's energy consumption, allowing electricity costs to be billed per vehicle and user.
Currently, the road only connects the airport to a logistics hub. However, the government already plans to expand the technology to other regions. "One of the most important issues of our time is 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 forefront of this technology, which we hope to introduce to other areas of the country and the world," Säll said in a statement.
Via CicloVivo.
This article was written by CicloVivo. The translation is powered by AI.
