Sweden integrates electric rail in highway for trucks

Sweden has put a road into operation in which a rail has been processed that can supply vehicles with electricity. The vehicles must be equipped with a moving arm to make contact with the rail.

It is a route with a length of two kilometers, which is a distribution terminal at the Arlanda airport near Stockholm with a logistics area. The road has now been put into service as a test for trucks that transport goods from transport company PostNord.
These trucks must be fitted with a moving arm under the chassis. The arm can be lowered to make contact with the metal strip in the road surface, so that the batteries of the electric trucks are supplied with electricity.
The strip is divided into segments that only have power when a vehicle is traveling at the top. As soon as a vehicle stops, the tension is removed from the rails. The project was chosen for rails because it can be quickly installed in existing roads: up to one kilometer per hour. In contrast to overhead lines, the technique also works simply in combination with vehicles of different heights.
This is a test in which Trafikverket, the Swedish government agency for transport, examines how the installation functions in different traffic situations and weather conditions.