http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1104907_sweden-opens-worlds-first-electric-road#src=10065
[Sweden has a good story on low GHG electricity generation (mostly
hydro, despite what the article says), so switching to e-drive is a big
win on the climate change front. Electrifying roads is a good solution
for short-haul, but I would prefer to see inter-modal solutions based on
electric rail for long-haul transport (while acknowledging we should be
trying to reduce the demand for long-haul transport in general).
Presumably a run like this could be shared by transport trucks and
passenger buses.
images in on-line article]
Sweden opens world's first "electric road"
A 2-kilometer stretch of the E16 freeway near Gävle, Sweden, nicknamed
the e-way might be the world's most advanced stretch of pavement.
Electric current running through power lines above the freeway delivers
energy to specially-modified Scania trucks.
When the big rigs are connected to the power lines, their internal
combustion engines shut off and, as a result, they have no tailpipe
emissions whatsoever. Given that much of Sweden's power is derived from
windmills and solar panels, the environmental impact is minimal.
In concept, the trucks draw power from the lines in much the way that
street cars and trams have for over a century. A pantograph power
collector mounted on the truck's frame behind its cab rubs against the
line and supplies electric power to the trucks. Since there is no
physical lock between the vehicle and the electric line, the truck is
free to move in and out of the lane as necessary.
Scania says the trucks are based on the manufacturer's G360 and that
they feature a biofuel-powered 9.0-liter, 360-horsepower parallel hybrid
powertrain. A 5.0-kilowatt-hour battery gives them a 3.0-km
electric-only range when they are not traveling on the so-called e-way.
The Swedes are no strangers to electrification; they recently won an
all-electric rail car competition, which could point toward an
alternative method of transporting goods in the future.
More Swedish transportation fun at:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1104889_most-efficient-all-electric-railcar-competition-won-by-swedes
--
Darryl McMahon
Freelance Project Manager (sustainable systems)
--
Darryl McMahon
Project Manager
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