Siemens and Scania open world's first electric road in Sweden

The world's first electric road has opened near the city of Gävle in central Sweden. Scania is supplying electrically-powered trucks, which will operate under real traffic conditions using Siemens technology.

The two-kilometre strip on the E16 motorway sees electrified trucks driven in open traffic, using conductive technology.

The rationale behind the new technology, which is the result of several years of cooperation between the Swedish Government and the private sector, is that it permits the trucks to operate as electric vehicles when on the electrified road and as regular hybrid vehicles at other times. All the Scania trucks on the road are hybrid and Euro 6-certified, running on biofuel.

Scania’s head of Research and Development Claes Erixon, said: “The electric road is one important milestone on the journey towards fossil-free transport. Scania is committed to the success of this project and is committed to sustainable transport solutions.”

The truck receives electrical power from a pantograph power collector that is mounted on the frame behind its cab. The pantographs are in turn connected to overhead power lines that are above the right-hand lane of the road, and the trucks can freely connect to and disconnect from the overhead wires while in motion.

When the truck goes outside the electrically-powered lane, the pantograph is disconnected and the truck is then powered by the combustion engine or the battery- operated electric motor. The same principle applies when the driver wants to overtake another vehicle while on the electrified strip of the road.

Read the July 2016 issue of Business Review Europe magazine. 

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