Trafikverket says that work on the planned procurement process for the 21km electric road is ongoing, including the choice of technology. This could be either a catenary system using overhead wires which would only be suitable for heavy vehicles, an inductive system under the road that sends electricity to a coil in the EV, or a conductive system that uses a wireless pad or plate on the road to provide the electric charge.
Once the contract has been awarded, and the choice of technology thereby finalised, the planning of the E20 electric road will be resumed. Design and construction is then expected to be completed in 2025, after which Sweden’s first electric road will open to traffic.
Örebro and Hallsberg are located in the middle of the logistics triangle between the country's three largest cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö.
Trafikverket says the purpose of the pilot electric road project is to verify and demonstrate the technology by installing and testing a complete electric road system with ancillary services, toll and access system. It adds that the pilot project will be Sweden’s first permanent electric road.
The administration says this investment in electric roads is intended to contribute to the goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from freight traffic.
HGVs are responsible for a large proportion of carbon dioxide emissions from road traffic. "We need to analyse how various electrification solutions to bring us closer to the goal of fossil-free transport actually work in practice," says Trafikverket.
The choice of route was between the E20 Hallsberg–Örebro and Route 73 Västerhaninge–Nynäshamn. The priorities and choice of route have been based on a number of criteria such as road type, traffic volumes, transport arrangements, the natural and cultural environment, the available power supply and national defence interests.
Örebro and Hallsberg are located in the middle of the logistics triangle between Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. In addition, we have seen that a number of companies use this particular route for a great deal of their transport. Taken together, this provides good conditions for the pilot to realise the anticipated results, as well as being important prerequisites for any future expansion.
