Does the electric highway have a future?

The Swedish manufacturer Scania is experimenting with this solution to reduce the carbon footprint in road transport.

A 90% reduction in CO₂ emissions from road transport in Europe by 2040 is the goal set by Europe. This will be achieved through alternative fuels, but also largely through electrification.

According to various studies, test results, and experiments, among all possible technical solutions, electric roads are an alternative that can also significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. Electrified road technology is one of the approaches Scania is testing to promote the transition to a sustainable transportation system.

Among the different technologies for dynamic electric capture, catenary is the one chosen by Scania for their experiments. A pantograph mounted on their roof allows hybrid rechargeable PHEV trucks or 100% electric BEVs to draw electricity from the catenary located above the right lane of the road, necessary for their movement and battery charging.

Trucks can thus drive at speeds up to 90 km/h, connecting and disconnecting freely from the catenary, switching back to the truck’s internal combustion engine or batteries for PHEVs, or only using batteries for BEVs when leaving the electrified section.

Initiated in June 2016 on a two-kilometer stretch of the E16 motorway outside the Swedish city of Gävle, this technology is now being tested on a much larger scale across 5 highway sections in Germany, where 22 trucks operate 24/7. Furthermore, a 100 km ERS segment between Frankfurt and Karlsruhe could very soon be decided upon. Other countries such as Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark are also considering studying the deployment of ERS.

If large-scale deployment is not yet on the agenda, this rail-inspired technology could easily be implemented. It remains for manufacturers to adapt their vehicles to this very specific energy capture mode.

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