Sweden Builds Electric Highway Capable of Charging EVs as They Go
Stockholm, Sweden is now the site of a road capable of charging electric vehicle batteries.
Developed by government-funded eRoadArlanda, a group of property, technology, and automakers, the road sits close to Stockholm’s Arlanda airport.
It comprises a 1.2-mile long stretch with an integrated electrical rail that charges a fleet of custom-designed, pass-through trucks using the truck’s movable arm. Other capabilities use energy consumption detection to charge the driver for energy, debit-style.
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“The technology offers infinite range — range anxiety disappears,” said Elways CEO Gunnar Ashland. “Electrified roads will allow smaller batteries and can make electric cars even cheaper than fossil fuel ones.”
The project, funded 70 percent by the Swedish government and estimated to be worth $5.8-million, also argues for its use due to its reduced costs over overhead chargers and “impact on the landscape.”
“Such roads will allow (electric vehicles) to move long distances without big, costly and heavy batteries,” said Markus Fischer, a spokesperson for state-owned energy company Vattenfall. “The investment cost per kilometer is estimated to be less than that of using overhead lines, as is the impact on the landscape.”
At the moment, dedicated full electric, carl-carrying lorries are running on the track, shuttling to and from Arlanda airport to a logistics center. No word on a timetable for expansion plans beyond the region.
This article originally appeared on HybridCars.com
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