The 609 Volvo Group is now taking the next step in the development of sustainable transport solutions. In collaboration with the 746 Swedish Transport Administration, the Volvo Group will study the potential for building electric roads, where city buses can be charged from electricity in the road at the same time as the bus is in operation. The benefit is quieter and more climate-smart public transport. A 300- to 500-metre electric road may be built for test operations in central Gothenburg during 2015.
The technology being studied is called inductive charging, whereby the energy is transferred wirelessly to the underside of the vehicle by equipment built into the road and vehicle batteries are continuously charged wirelessly during operation by transferring energy from the electricity grid to the vehicle, instead of charging the bus while it is standing still at charging stations.
“Vehicles capable of being charged directly from the road during operation could become the next pioneering step in the development towards reduced environmental impact, and this is fully in line with our vision of becoming the world leader in sustainable transport solutions. Close cooperation between society and industry is needed for such a development to be possible and we look forward to investigating the possibilities together with the City of Gothenburg,” says Niklas Gustavsson, executive vice president, Corporate Sustainability & Public Affairs of the Volvo Group.
The Volvo Group will develop a detailed proposal within the framework of innovation procurement from the Swedish Transport Administration. The proposal entails building a road section equipped with wireless charge technology and developing vehicles that will automatically charge their batteries when passing such a road section. The road will be built along a suitable bus line in central Gothenburg and be tested for public transport. Experiences from such a test track will provide valuable knowledge for future political and industrial decisions for establishing electric roads.
Meanwhile, the Swedish Transport Administration has, together with the Swedish innovation agency Vinnova and the Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten), decided to let four contractors continue in the procurement process of electric roads. The project is the largest innovation procurement in Europe at the moment, and the goal is to construct one or more demonstration plants for electric roads in 2015. It is meant to further strengthen Sweden's competitiveness and conforms to the government's goal of fossil-free transportation by 2030.
The technology being studied is called inductive charging, whereby the energy is transferred wirelessly to the underside of the vehicle by equipment built into the road and vehicle batteries are continuously charged wirelessly during operation by transferring energy from the electricity grid to the vehicle, instead of charging the bus while it is standing still at charging stations.
“Vehicles capable of being charged directly from the road during operation could become the next pioneering step in the development towards reduced environmental impact, and this is fully in line with our vision of becoming the world leader in sustainable transport solutions. Close cooperation between society and industry is needed for such a development to be possible and we look forward to investigating the possibilities together with the City of Gothenburg,” says Niklas Gustavsson, executive vice president, Corporate Sustainability & Public Affairs of the Volvo Group.
The Volvo Group will develop a detailed proposal within the framework of innovation procurement from the Swedish Transport Administration. The proposal entails building a road section equipped with wireless charge technology and developing vehicles that will automatically charge their batteries when passing such a road section. The road will be built along a suitable bus line in central Gothenburg and be tested for public transport. Experiences from such a test track will provide valuable knowledge for future political and industrial decisions for establishing electric roads.
Meanwhile, the Swedish Transport Administration has, together with the Swedish innovation agency Vinnova and the Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten), decided to let four contractors continue in the procurement process of electric roads. The project is the largest innovation procurement in Europe at the moment, and the goal is to construct one or more demonstration plants for electric roads in 2015. It is meant to further strengthen Sweden's competitiveness and conforms to the government's goal of fossil-free transportation by 2030.
