The Swedish seaport has partnered with the also Swedish Elonroad to test a new electric road system.

The solution will see the port's two e-vehicles charged from a power strip in the road, whether they are parked or on the move. Testing will begin this autumn.

The power strips, approximately ten metres long, are glued to the asphalt and connected to a power source.

Since it involves conductive charging, i.e. physical contact between the vehicle and power strip/rail, the cars will have sliding contacts that automatically fold down to touch both the positive and negative terminals to transfer the energy and charge the vehicle.

According to the parties, conductive charging can transfer high power, up to 300kW per vehicle, with 97.5% efficiency.

Öresundskraft is also involved in the project. The municipal energy company wants to gain insights into the new technology and how electrifying the transport sector will impact the energy system.

The domestic transport sector, primarily using fossil fuels, accounts for about one-third of Sweden's greenhouse gas emissions.

"Testing this new electric road system is another step on our journey towards becoming Sweden's most sustainable port. The technology has been tested on public roads, but using it in a port environment to create continuous flows is something entirely new. Perhaps in the future, we could have these power strips by our container cranes and charge the terminal tractors while they wait for the next container," Christina Argelius, Chief Technology Officer, the Port of Helsingborg, commented.

Karin Ebbinghaus, CEO, Elonroad, added to this, "An electric road system means better air quality and reduced noise pollution. Our joint initiative with the Port of Helsingborg [...] is primarily focused on port environments and industrial applications. But we also intend to demonstrate how it can be applied throughout the transport sector in the long term, where the same solution can be used both in a port and the city centre."

Photo: Elonroad