Sweden To Build World's First Permanent Electrified Road For EVs: Report

Sweden is set to build the world's first permanent electrified road, paving the way for electric vehicles (EVs) to charge while driving. This innovative infrastructure will enable EVs to charge while driving, eliminating the need for frequent stops at charging stations and significantly extending their range. The project, which is at the procurement stage, is planned to be built by 2025 and will involve turning a highway into a permanent electrified road. Further, it aims to expand to 3,000 km of electric roads by 2045.

The charging method for the e-motorway, known as the E20, is yet to be finalized. However, there are three potential options: the catenary system, the conductive (ground-based) system, and the inductive system. The catenary system uses overhead wires for heavy-duty vehicles like buses and trams, while conductive charging employs a rail system for both heavy-duty vehicles and private cars. Inductive charging involves buried equipment that sends electricity to a coil in the vehicle.

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Electrified roads aim to eliminate stops for charging EVs.
 

The e-motorway not only benefits trucks and buses but also holds potential advantages for private cars. A recent study conducted in Sweden simulated the movement patterns of privately driven cars and concluded that combining home charging with dynamic charging on the electrified road could reduce the size of car batteries by up to 70%. This finding suggests that electrifying only a portion of the road network, around 25%, would be sufficient to create an efficient system.

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Sweden has teamed up with Germany and France to share knowledge and research on electric roads. Germany and Sweden have demonstration facilities for electric roads, while France is planning a pilot section for testing an electric road system.
 

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