Oscar Sanz
May 5th 2023
4 min.
Electric road technology could significantly reduce the size of car batteries, Sweden, Italy and other countries are pushing for its development
In recent years, we have witnessed a significant change in the automotive industry. More and more car manufacturers are adopting They are betting on electrification, and electric vehicles are becoming an increasingly common reality on our roads. However, as the demand for electric vehicles continues to grow, so does It is necessary to improve the infrastructure that supports them, and in this respect, Sweden has taken an important step forward.
Sweden is building the first electric highway permanent of the world, the European route E20, which is responsible for connecting the logistics centres between Hallsberg and Örebro. The road, which is expected to be completed in 2025, will become a permanent electrified road that will allow dynamic charging of electric vehicles moving.
The highway allows dynamic loading of the vehicle allowing travel longer distances with smaller batteries and avoid waiting at charging stationsThe Scandinavian country has pioneered electrified roads through several pilot projects, including the world's first temporary electric road.
Construction of the project is expected to take place in 2025, as it is currently is in the hiring phase and a long road lies ahead. On the planned new road we find Three charging options: catenary, inductive and conductiveThe catenary option is only available for larger vehicles, as it relies on supplying electricity via overhead wires for a specific type of bus or tram.
In 2018, Trafikverket, the Swedish Transport Administration has carried out a pilot test of the world's first electric charging lane on public roads. The charging lane is located on a 2 km stretch between Stockholm's Arlanda Airport and a logistics area in Rosersberg. Electric trucks lower a mobile arm on an electric rail integrated into the asphalt to receive energy like a scalextric.
The charging rail works by conductive or inductive charging. In the conductive charge, electric vehicles have a pad or plate on the road, on which they charge wirelessly when the vehicle is on it. inductive charging, special equipment buried under the road sends electricity to a coil in the electric vehicle, which uses that electricity to charge the battery.
The approach of Electric Highway System (ERS) focuses on heavy vehicles. A recent study showed that private cars could also benefit from the dynamic load in combination with domestic load, which could reduce battery size by up to 70%, cover longer distances and avoid waiting at charging stations. Researchers suggest that electrifying just 25% of Swedish roads would be enough to make the system work.
Although ERS has its benefits, the expert Jan Pettersson, Director of Strategic Development at Trafikverket, highlights that its focus on full static battery charging for heavy vehicles could result in a huge number of batteries that vehicles would have to carry. In addition, the ERS might not be suitable for all drivers.
Washim Shoman, researcher at the Physical Resource Theory Division from Chalmers University of Technology, says the difference in range between drivers of electric vehicles with and without access to dynamic charging could be 20%. Other countries such as Italy, United Kingdom, United States and India are also working on ERS systems. Sweden has partnered with Germany and France to share experiences in electric road research and authority and plans to extend another 3.000 km of electric roads for 2045.
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