Sweden inaugurates world’s first electric road

Sweden inaugurated a test stretch of an electric road in Sandviken to conduct tests with electric power for hybrid heavy transports on public roads.
With this, Sweden becomes first country in the world to have electric road. The tests will be conducted on parts of road E16.
Key Facts

• The tests will continue up through 2018 and will provide knowledge of how electric roads work in practice.
• The road E16 tests will involve a current collector on the roof of the hybrid heavy truck’s cab that will feed the current down to a hybrid electric motor in the truck.
• It will also check feasibility of whether the technology can be used in the future.
• These experimental tests are based on the Sweden’s goal of energy efficiency and a fossil fuel-free vehicle fleet by 2030.
• The project is being partially funded by Sweden’s three government agencies viz. Swedish Transport Administration, Swedish Energy Agency, and the country’s innovation agency Vinnova. The rest funding is provided by the private participants.

Future Potentials: Bring one step closer to fossil fuel-free transport systems. It has the potential to achieve zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Provides a simple way for developing environmentally smart transport systems in the existing road networks.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2016