Wireless charging of electric automobiles on the road is not a novel notion. Some countries have been testing it for some time, notably Japan last year. Sweden, on the other hand, plans to be the first country to make it available permanently in 2025.
The ERS, or ‘electric road system’ in our language, will allow electric vehicles to travel longer distances without stopping at charging facilities. It was first decided in Sweden to install ERS on the E20 motorway. This highway is vital since it connects the country’s major cities, including Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö.
The long-term goal is to convert almost 3,000 kilometers of Swedish highways to electric vehicles. This plan’s first phase will be the E20. However, it has not yet been determined whether type of electric road technology would be used on the first roadway.
Sweden was a pioneer in testing roadways that could charge electric automobiles. Three such solutions are already being tested in the country. In 2016, a two-kilometer (1.2-mile) road in Gävle, central Sweden, was opened that used power lines to charge heavy vehicles via pantographs, comparable to an electric train or tram.
Later, a 1.6-kilometer (0.9-mile) stretch of road in Gotland was electrified with charging coils installed beneath the asphalt. In 2018, the Swedish Traffic Administration devised a method that uses a moveable arm to gather energy from a charging rail built into the road.
Although the experiments are mostly focused on big vehicles such as trucks and tow trucks, the technology is expected to be extended to automobiles as well. A charging plate, similar to that used for cell phones, will be integrated beneath the asphalt, allowing electric vehicles equipped with a receiver coil to be charged while driving. Other countries are already experimenting with similar options.
