Recharge Electric Vehicles on the Go

In the first of its kind, the Scandinavian country is trialing the world's first public road which allows electric vehicles to recharge while driving. Similar to a slot-car track, vehicles are able to connect to an electric rail that is embedded into the road.

Sweden has a goal of achieving a completely fossil fuel free vehicle fleet by 2030, so this electrified road is part of several projects the Swedish Transport Administration has created to develop and test technologies that may be able to help the country reach its target, reported CNN.

In this particular project, 'eRoadArlanda', electricity is transferred via a movable arm that attaches to the tracks built into the middle of the road. While the system is designed with the capacity to feed heavier vehicles such as trucks, it is also developed to work for cars and buses.

When vehicles approach the track, a sensor from the car or truck detects the electrified rail and the movable arm lowers from underneath the vehicle and inserts into the rail. The arm has been designed to be flexible, providing the car, or truck, the freedom to move around the road without disconnecting.

>Fossil-Free Road Transport

"One of the most important issues of our time is the question of how to make fossil-free road transportation a reality," Hans Sall, chairman of the eRoadArlanda says.

"We now have a solution that will make this possible, which is amazing. Sweden is at the cutting edge of this technology, which we now hope to introduce in other areas of the country and the world."

The track stretches along 2 kilometers and has been installed on public road "893" just 30 minutes outside of Stockholm.

The eRoad has many advantages, Sall says. If implemented it will mean electric vehicle batteries can be smaller—and therefore lighter—because they will not need to retain as much charge, the vehicles will then be cheaper to manufacture and will ultimately be more sustainable.

For a heavy truck to be 100% electric, he explains, it would need a battery that weighs 40 tones. But if technology like the eRoad was readily available, the truck's battery would be able to weigh as little as 600 kilograms.

It would also fix a wider issue that many electric vehicle owners face: The worry and inconvenience of keeping vehicles charged.