Skip to main content

World's first eHighway opens in Sweden

Today sees the opening of the world's first eHighway in Sweden. For the next two years, a Siemens catenary system for trucks will be tested on a two-kilometre stretch of the E16 highway north of Stockholm. The trial will use two diesel hybrid vehicles manufactured by Scania and adapted, in collaboration with Siemens, to operate under the catenary system The core of the system is an intelligent pantograph combined with a hybrid drive system. A sensor system enables the pantograph to connect to and disconn
June 22, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Today sees the opening of the world's first eHighway in Sweden. For the next two years, a 189 Siemens catenary system for trucks will be tested on a two-kilometre stretch of the E16 highway north of Stockholm. The trial will use two diesel hybrid vehicles manufactured by Scania and adapted, in collaboration with Siemens, to operate under the catenary system

The core of the system is an intelligent pantograph combined with a hybrid drive system. A sensor system enables the pantograph to connect to and disconnect from the overhead line at speeds of up to 90 km per hour. Trucks equipped with the system draw power from the overhead catenary wires as they drive, enabling them to travel efficiently and with zero local emissions.

The hybrid system enables operation outside of the contact line, maintaining the flexibility of conventional trucks. The eHighway technology features an open configuration, meaning that other solutions, such as battery or natural gas, can be implemented as an alternative to the diesel hybrid drive system used in Sweden. This allows the system to be adapted flexibly to the specific application.

Transport accounts for more than one third of Sweden's CO2 emissions, with almost half of that coming from freight transport. As part of its climate protection strategy, Sweden has committed to having a fossil fuel independent transport sector by 2030.

During the two-year trial, Sweden's Transport Administration 6301 Trafikverket and Gävleborg County plan to create a knowledge base to determine whether the Siemens eHighway system is suitable for future long-term commercial use and further deployment.

Related Content

  • August 7, 2014
    Siemens tests eHighway system
    Siemens, in conjunction with Volvo, is to trial an eHighway system on a two-mile stretch of highway in California in the vicinity of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The company was awarded the contract by Southern California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) with the objectives of eliminating local emissions, reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and cutting the operating costs of trucks. The two ports are seeking an emission-free solution, Zero Emission I-710 Project, for a
  • October 22, 2014
    Using electricity to power road freight
    Next year sees the start of the first real-life electrified road system for transporting freight. Worldwide freight transportation is predicted to double by 2050 but despite expansion of global rail infrastructure only one third of this additional freight transport can be handled by trains. This means that the largest proportion of freight transport will continue to be by road and as a result, experts expect global CO2 emissions from road freight traffic to more than double by 2050.
  • March 24, 2016
    Sweden to begin electric road trials
    Sweden’s two kilometre-long Elväg Gävle electric road test track, which runs along the E16 between Sandviken and Kungsgården, is to begin operation in June 2016, according to Processnet. The project is managed by the Regional Development Council of Gävleborg (Region Gavleborg), which is financing it in partnership with the Swedish Transport Administration, Trafikverket, the Swedish Energy Agency, Swedish government agency for research and development Vinnova, Scania and Siemens. Other partners include st
  • August 11, 2017
    Siemens to build eHighway in Germany
    Siemens has been commissioned by the German state of Hesse to build an overhead contact line for electrified freight transport on a ten kilometre stretch of autobahn to supply electricity for the electric drive of a hybrid truck. Siemens will install its eHighway on the A5 federal autobahn between the Zeppelinheim/Cargo City Süd interchange at the Frankfurt Airport and the Darmstadt/Weiterstadt interchange, the first time the eHighway has been tested on a public highway in Germany. Siemens will be responsib