Swedish Elonroad builds electric roads to recharge electric vehicles in motion

According to foreign media reports, Sweden recently launched a pilot project for electric roads in Lund City, which can charge vehicles in motion. The patented technology was developed by the Swedish company Elonroad AB in collaboration with Lund University. It can transmit up to 300 kilowatts of electricity to the car through a retractable pick-up (pick-up). Drag metal tracks embedded on the road.

From now until 2022, there will be an electric bus driving along this "Evolution Road", one week per month to test the system. This high-tech road concept can charge all types of electric vehicles that are parked and driving. Earlier, Israeli startup Electreon Wireless Ltd. planned to install a charging coil under a 1.2-mile highway in Tel Aviv in mid-August this year to achieve charging while driving. German industrial giant Siemens (Siemens) has also developed power road technology, and conducted experiments in Sweden and South Korea.

The Elonroads concept includes a conductive track that can be paved on or under the road. The version on the pavement is 4 cm high and 35 cm wide. The angle of the inclined side is only 10 degrees, so the vehicle can change lanes smoothly. The track is glued to the asphalt through the mounting plate. The track under the pavement version is incorporated into the asphalt, the top is flat, aligned with the surrounding asphalt, 25 cm wide and 5 cm deep.

The extractor is connected to the power road and is located below the vehicle, providing an economical and simple solution for all vehicles. The extractor installed on the car is only 2 cm high and can be installed under the electric car. The extractor of the electric bus and truck will be larger in size, 5 to 6 cm in height and 240 cm in length. It will slide along the track and will The current is delivered to the vehicle. Since three sliding contacts are arranged, the positive and negative electrodes can be reached at the same time. When using this power path, the vehicle-mounted DC/DC converter will charge the vehicle battery.

When driving on a non-electrical road, the vehicle has a battery to provide energy. Electric road is a charging infrastructure installed on main roads and high-speed roads. Its track sections are constructed. When the road exits and loops are reached, the vehicle battery will actively take over the task of providing power to the vehicle. The power road concept can reduce the need for expensive and bulky batteries by 20% to 70%, depending on the distance between the power road and the destination.

The power road is an efficient range extender, its track can provide up to 300 kilowatts of power when the vehicle is driving. For long-distance trucks, it is sufficient for propulsion systems and charging. Because the energy consumed for driving one kilometer on an electric road is equivalent to the energy for driving three kilometers on an ordinary road, thereby saving infrastructure investment costs. Working with the on-board battery, the electric road only needs to cover 30% to 50% of the road, so that the vehicle can get unlimited battery life.

The track is powered by roadside power stations, each of which can deliver 3 MW of electricity to the track, enough for 10 trucks to travel on the power road. Every kilometer of road is connected to the power station, which converts the grid voltage from 10kV to 600V DC, thereby minimizing power loss.

In addition, the track can also be heated to melt ice and snow when needed. In order to remove the snow on the road, Elonroad has also developed a special snowplow that can remove snow like an ordinary machine and tested it in Sweden in winter. In the case where the road surface is covered with snow and road salt, in order to prevent electric leakage, grounded racks are placed on the asphalt. In addition, control measurements are also carried out so that the power supply can be switched on safely. The top-mounted rail is placed in the grooved rubber, and rainwater can easily flow under the rail, because the asphalt usually slopes to one side.

In October 2018, Elonroad discussed with Hydro the issue of extruded aluminum profiles, which contain electronic components and tracks for charging electric vehicles in motion, and can be precisely processed along the entire length and top and bottom, including Electronic equipment, cables, positive leads, and mounting rails. Hydro’s aluminum manufacturing plant began delivering this unique product this year, providing 500-meter-long road profiles and 1,000-meter-long positive leads, which is equivalent to 500-meter-long electric roads.