Sweden plans to inaugurate its first section a 100% electric highway in 2025 year. baptized Electric road system (ERS), this will allow electric vehicles to charge their batteries while driving, allowing them to travel longer distances without having to stop at a charging station.

A few experiments This technology is already implemented in Europe, for example in Italy on the A35 motorway, in Germany or Belgium, while another project will also see the light of day in 2025 in Germany.

Over 3,000 kilometers of 100% electric highway

Highway is selectedE20which connects the cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, and is part of the project that plans to equip more than 3000 kilometers roads with this inductive charging technology. However, the type of electrified technology that will be used has yet to be determined.

In Sweden, they have been experimenting for several years electrified roadsand has already tested three solutions: In 2016, a two-kilometer section was inaugurated in Jävle, central Sweden, with overhead power lines to allow trucks to charge via pantographs, a solution similar to trams or trains.

Some time later, a 1.6 kilometer section of road on the island of Gotland was electrified using coils under the asphalt for recharging. In 2018, Trafikverket, Sweden’s national transport administration, unveiled the first charging rail on a two-kilometer stretch that allowed electric trucks to charge by connecting to the ground via a special arm.

Inductive charging on the go

Simpler and more universal induction charging it is a decision that must be made. The technology works similarly to inductive chargers for smartphones: a plate is installed under the roadway, and vehicles equipped with a receiving coil are automatically charged as they drive over it. This solution has already been tested in Germany, as well as in Michigan, USA.

This solution should allowincreasing the range of electric vehiclesand also allow cheaper electric vehicles with smaller capacity batteries to travel longer distances.

According to the researchers, only 25% of Sweden’s road network would need to be electrified to offer the most efficient solution. Sweden has teamed up with Germany and France to share this experience and test results, and the UK, US and India are also planning to build electrified roads.