Electrified Roads Can Help Boost EV Uptake

Electric vehicles are becoming popular, and so are the charging stations that are needed to power these cars.

While EV charging stations are becoming ubiquitous, they are present in private and public spaces where EVs can be charged safely, easily, and on the go. Some countries are beginning to build and pilot electrified roads.

Electrified Roads or E-roads allow EVs to charge while driving through them through conductive or inductive power transfer.

Conductive E-roads come in two types, namely overhead conductive and ground-level conductive.

Power is transferred from overhead lines to the vehicle through a pantograph in the overhead conductive system. This type of charging is best suited for trucks and buses due to their height, which allows them to reach the electric lines. The technology is akin to an advanced trolley bus system. An example of an overhead conductive E-road is Siemens’ eHighway, which was introduced in Germany.

The second type of conductive E-road transfers power from the rails embedded in or on top of the road surface to the vehicle. The system includes an on-board mechanical arm that connects with the power supply. An example of this conductive road surface is Stockholm’s EVolution Road, a demonstration E-road in Lund, where an electrified rail is embedded at the centre of one lane that charges EVs as they drive along it.

Inductive e-roads, on the other hand, transfer wireless power to EVs. The technology is similar to the one used in wireless charging for mobile phones. Inductive e-road includes a power transfer from a coil in the road to the secondary coil attached to the vehicle’s chassis. A leader in this field of inductive e-road is an Israel-based company, Electreon. They have projects in Israel, Sweden, Italy, Germany and the United States.

According to a UN report, new and emerging technologies, from electric cars and buses to zero-carbon-producing energy sources and policy innovations, are critical for combating climate change. However, the adoption has been restricted due to its cost and limited range.

Could increased electrified roads, including electric trucks and buses, encourage more EV uptake?

Pros and cons of E-roads

E-roads have benefits, including eliminating the need to stop and charge an EV for many hours, alleviating range anxiety for EV drivers, and significantly reducing the size and cost of EV batteries. Having smaller batteries for heavy vehicles like trucks and buses can be a game changer because it can reduce the cost and weight of these vehicles.

Besides the conductive E-roads that use a pantograph, the rail-embedded and inductive E-road are still novel technologies, and there is not much data to support their reliability. The cost of installing them is also costly due to the technology, material production, and implementation still being in their infancy, which requires significant investments in installing and maintaining them.

Installing an induction electrified road costs nearly $2m (£1.6m) per mile. Stefan Tongur, vice president of business development at Electreon, an Israel-based creator and manufacturer of wireless electrified roads, predicts that as E-roads become scalable and the technology matures, the cost will start to drop to around $1.2m (£0.9m) per mile and $1,000 (£790) per receiver (Paris, 2024).

Overcoming some of these challenges linked to EV ownership can help boost its adoption, which could also help align with global sustainability goals to transition to low-carbon transportation.

Countries that have E-roads

In 2018, Sweden opened its first conductive electrified road using embedded rails. It is the world’s first 2-kilometre stretch of e-road on a public road near Stockholm, costing €1m per kilometre. The road also integrates “dynamic charging”. The system can calculate the vehicle’s energy consumption, which enables electricity costs to be debited per vehicle (Boffey, 2018).

The world’s first permanent e-motorway is also in the works in Sweden. The inaugural e-motorway will be an 18-mile stretch of the European route E20 to connect the country’s major logistics hubs, including Hallsberg and Örebro. The proposals are currently at the procurement stage, with construction set to begin in 2025.

Express UK reports that “developers will either use tram or train-like overhead wires that form a “catenary system” to charge heavier vehicles or a “conducive” system that uses a rail or rod that could charge both private cars and lorries. Another option is an “inductive” system whereby equipment buried under the road would charge vehicles driving above” (Doyle, 2024).

In September 2020, Electreon built a test e-road at the Tel Aviv University Train Station bus terminal in Israel. The company aims to electrify urban bus and shuttle routes to clean Israel’s city air and reduce the country’s dependence on imported oil. From test pilots, the company hopes to go global and mass-implement its e-road technology over time (Krauss, 2019).

Electreon is piloting wireless charging technology at select locations across Europe, Asia and America. According to an article from the City of Detroit website, the company installed magnetic inductive coils on the road in Detroit in November. Some critics say that e-roads look good on paper but are impractical in real life. Stefan Tongur, vice president of business development at Electreon, says that e-road is not meant for every road but needs to be deployed strategically, such as transit corridors frequented by commercial fleets like buses and trucks, with predictable schedules (Paris, 2024).

In the United States, the first wireless quarter mile (400 metres) pilot electric road was installed in Detroit with a price tag of $2m (£1.6m) per mile using Israel’s Electreon wireless technology. The technology installed in November 2023 uses magnetic inductive coils to charge EVs with the right receivers attached to their base as they drive along it (Paris, 2024).

Plans to build more e-roads worldwide

Some European countries plan to build miles of e-roads. France plans to build 5,500 miles (8,850km) of electrified roads by 2035 using either overhead cables, rails or induction charging, while studies in Germany have recommended installing 2,500 miles (4,000km) of overhead cables or inductive charging infrastructure on the country’s Autobahn. Sweden has estimated it will cost around SEK30-40bn (£2.3-3bn/$2.9-3.8bn) to build approximately 1,200 miles (2,000km) of electric roads (Paris, 2024).

Installing electrified roads is another step towards achieving global sustainability goals and addressing the urgent need to transition to low-emission transportation. An analysis from the Swedish government shows that E-roads stretching 155-186 miles (155- 300 km) could reduce the CO2 emissions of trucks by more than 200,000 tonnes.  

Already, the world is seeing increased collaboration between countries to try out new technologies. An example is the state of Michigan applying Israel’s e-road technology. Other countries will soon follow, which could propel technology growth and improvement and greater social acceptance towards more sustainable and lower emissions transportation systems.