The Swedish Transport Administration, Trafikverket, has decided on the country's first permanent electric road, a 21km stretch of the two-lane E20 between Hallsberg and Örebro.
It has not yet been decided which technology will be used for the electric road that will be made for heavy transport trucks but it is expected that it will be operational by 2025.
A report published in August 2020 by the Region Örebro County cited the many haulage companies in the area that would make the particular stretch of road suitable electrification.
“The volumes of goods and transport that players in Örebro County can use for testing an electric road pilot are already large enough to enable Trafikverket to collect data over time as a basis for an electric road pilot, even if it does not subsequently evolve into a national electric road system. The E20 European Highway in Örebro County is a good option for testing a large-scale electric road pilot.”
The report noted that most of the freight transported between northern and southern Sweden passes through Örebro County. Goods transported by truck in the region are expected to increase by 46% up to 2040, with an annual growth rate of 1.1% up to 2040 and 0.8% in 2040–2065, according to the Trafikverket's national basic forecast for freight transport. The Örebro Region has become a hub for logistics establishments, largely thanks to its central location in Sweden.
The county also completed an assessment in May 2020 with electricity grid owners Ellevio, Vattenfall and Svenska Kraftnät of what electricity supply could be available for such a road.
Meanwhile, the Swedish Confederation of Transport Enterprises (Transportföretagen) says the action plan presented by the Swedish Electrification Commission (Elektrifieringskommissionen) on boosting e-vehicle use is a positive move.
Marcus Dahlsten, chief executive of the confederation, said his organisation wishes to see more investment in electrified transport, electrified road networks and a long-term plan for electric vehicles charging infrastructure. He noted that this will be essential for the coutry to reach its climate change goals.
Dahlsten added that it is much cheaper to expand electrified roads than it is to build new electric rail lines.
Early last year, Evolution Road, a Swedish public-private group, set up a second phase of its electric road installation in the town of Lund.
