Sweden opens electrified road
The world’s first electrified road has opened in Sweden that recharges the batteries of cars and trucks driving on it.
According to The Guardian, the road, near Stockholm, is about 1.2 miles long with electric rail embedded in it. The government has already planned a national map for further expansion.
The new road hopes to solve the problem of keeping electric vehicles charged and costs of batteries affordable.
The technology of the road works by transferring energy from the two rail tracks to a moveable arm connected to the bottom of the vehicle. If the vehicle were to move lanes or overtake, the arm would disconnect automatically.
Divided into 50m sections, the road only powers vehicles when they are above the section. Once a vehicle stops, the electricity is disconnected.
Due to the ‘dynamic charging’, compared to roadside charging posts, allows the vehicle’s batteries to be smaller, decreasing manufacture costs.
Hans Säll, chief executive of the eRoadArlanda group behind the project, said, ‘If we electrify 20,000km of highways that will definitely be enough. The distance between two highways is never more than 45km and electric cars can already travel that distance without needing to be recharged. Some believe it would be enough to electrify 5,000km.’