Scania trucks driving on electric road in Sweden

An ecological project initiated by Sweden

The objective is to allow trucks to run on electricity on the road like some buses or tramways, thanks to power lines. Sweden’s main goal is to reduce fossil fuel consumption of trucks. The country wants the vehicles to stop using these types of fuels by the end of 2013. Therefore, the Swedish government has invested in this project, for environmental-friendly reasons.

The Swedish Ministry of Transport has joined forces with Scania and is willing to implement electricity supply for trucks in order to run some tests. Siemens’s energy department has also joined this large-scale project. The electrical networks are installed in Stockholm area on a small part (2 kms) of the highway E16.

A highway equipped to receive electric trucks

Pantographs (articulated system which allows a tramway to receive electricity by friction with catenaries) have been installed directly on trucks roofs. The fittings are located behind the driver’s cabin.

The highway part already existed; it only has been equipped with overhead power lines (catenaries), on the right lane. Thus the truck may circulate on these equipped roads as tramways and buses do in many cities.

A Scania truck especially designed for the test

Scania trucks used during the test in Sweden are hybrid. These vehicles run on both electric and heat energies. Indeed, Scania truck engines are powered by biodiesel and in accordance with the Euro 6 norm. When they are no longer driven on the test part of the highway, these trucks may be driven normally.

Scania is a firm known for its ecological involvement; it has for example manufactured a few vehicles able to run on natural gas or bioethanol. With this mind of reducing Sweden’s dependence on oil, this electric solution seems to be a sustainable alternative.