A (small) revolution just happened in Sweden. The inhabitants of the coastal town of Gävle woke up to the world's first electric-powered highway, a 1.2 mile road meant for trucks called eHighway. The electric cables feed the trucks with electricity, allowing them to travel at speeds up to 55 mph. The trucks, which carry a natural gas hybrid engine, have an antenna that collects the power and that is lowered when it's time to disconnect.


Swedish electric highway


This system is the result of an extensive collaboration between Swedish vehicle manufacturer Scania and German tech company Siemens. After years of testing at Siemens research and development facility in Germany, it was finally tested in an actual town. The trial for this eHighway will last for two years. Their hope is to extend the lines to another town, Borlänge, about 68 miles away. If this project results to be feasible and economically viable, we'll be able to see further deployment in the future. Either way this is a very important day and, as Scania's head of Research and Development Claes Erixon said “one important milestone on the journey towards fossil-free transport”. 


Source: Scania

Enjoying this story? Show it to us!

0 Likes

Share your thoughts and join the technology debate!

Be the first to comment

More like this