Urban Transport

Volvo to test electric road that charges buses as they're in motion

Volvo to test electric road that charges buses as they're in motion
Volvo is planning to test an electric road concept that will charge buses on the fly
Volvo is planning to test an electric road concept that will charge buses on the fly
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Volvo is planning to test an electric road concept that will charge buses on the fly
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Volvo is planning to test an electric road concept that will charge buses on the fly

Volvo has announced plans to study the potential for electric roads that charge buses as they're being driven. The study will be carried out in partnership with the Swedish Transport Administration to further develop sustainable transport. A stretch of electric road may be built in Gothenburg for testing.

Volvo has already been testing electric rails built into the road as a means of powering long-haul trucks. It also already produces environmentally-friendly electric buses that are used in Gothenburg.

Now, it will look at the feasibility of combining those two concepts. The idea would allow vehicles to be charged wirelessly while they are on the move, without their having to be stationary at a charging point. The vehicles would be charged via electromagnetic induction, in the same way that some electric buses in Korea already are.

In order to carry out the study, Volvo will work with the Swedish Transport Administration to put together a proposal for building a section of road that is equipped with the charging technology. The section of road would be located on an existing bus route in Gothenburg, and the test data collected would be used to inform future discussion and decisions on the use of such technology.

"Vehicles capable of being charged directly from the road during operation could become the next pioneering step in the development towards reduced environmental impact," says Niklas Gustavsson, executive vice president for corporate sustainability and public affairs of the Volvo Group. "Close cooperation between society and industry is needed for such a development to be possible and we look forward to investigating the possibilities together with the City of Gothenburg."

Source: Volvo

4 comments
4 comments
RelayerM31
This is beautiful, an end to unsightly electric cables about the trolley cars and busses.
Now the questions:
Where is this leading? Would ANY induction capable vehicle charge up? Is there any way to prevent power poachers from stealing electricity? Or, should induction power be like paved roads, we just make it a common good and provide it for everyone courtesy of tax payers.
Slowburn
Are they going to give the electricity away or do they think they have a foolproof way to charge for it.
Ramon Verhoeven
In contrary of the US , we in Europe have well developed bus systems, with often separate lanes for buses. No way you can drive there with a normal car. So the bus can avoid traffic jams. Some centers of cities are completely traffic free, except for electric buses/trams. All preventing electricity poaching.
BigGoofyGuy
IMO, it might reduce the chance of poaching but totally prevent it.
It seems like a green idea. It seems a pity they don't use more bird friendly windmills. The traditional ones seem to take out a lot of birds.