Installation of the world's first wireless electric road for trucks and buses begins today

Visby, 191113

The Smartroad Gotland project will today install the first section of the world's first wireless smartroad system for trucks and buses on public roads. The technology supports electric power transfer to vehicle while in motion and have great potential to decarbonize the transport sector and to increase energy efficiency with a reduced need of batteries. Smartroad Gotland is supported and funded by the Swedish Road Administration. The goal of the project is to prove that wireless smartroad technology is ready for commercialization and to provide decision makers with knowledge necessary for large-scale deployment.

Wireless ERS is based on coils installed below the road surface and transfer energy to a receiver that can be mounted on all types of electric vehicles such as trucks, buses, vans, and passenger cars, enabling them to charge on the go and use minimal batteries.

The installation deployment process is simple: a 10 cm deep trench is created in the middle of the road lane in which copper coils embedded in rubber are placed and then the road is repaved with asphalt. Representatives from several countries are present on Gotland to evaluate the process as they consider a future deployment of the technology.

The Smartroad Gotland project will start operations early 2020 with an electric truck and trailer. Before the summer the electric road will also charge and power an electric bus.

The solution also includes a real-time communication system to ensure safety, access control, and energy metering, and which also can support autonomous vehicles. Thereby, the solution offers a smart and cost-effective way of enabling a transition towards electric road transportation without any visual impacts or need for mechanical contact and heavy maintenance.

"Matters Group has been among the founders of Smartroad Gotland from the very beginning. We have made it with from the insight that “smartroads” with wireless transfer of energy to vehicles is the future. This technology, together with appropriate business models, will prepare road infrastructure and electric vehicles for a transformative future, where climate change and digitalization are setting the agenda."

– Niclas Ihrén, CEO, Matters Group

“We are very excited to deploy our technology for a real world application for the first time after proving that it is fully functional in our test site. As part of the process we are also shifting to mass production of our coils on the way to full commercialization of our technology.”

– Oren Ezer, CEO, ElectReon Wireless 

How it works

The system consists of three key elements; the Coil transferring energy to a Receiver on the vehicle and a Management Unit connected to the grid controlling the process. The Management Unit is connected to the electric grid and transfer energy to copper coils buried 8 cm below the lane when a valid vehicle is exactly above. The energy is wirelessly transferred from the coil to a receiver mounted underneath the vehicle. The system makes sure only valid vehicles receives energy and keeps track of how much in order to bill the right customer. A passenger car needs one receiver and a 40-ton truck would use five, utilizing the same infrastructure. 

Partners of the Smartroad Gotland project

Caverion, Dan transport, Eitech, Electreon AB, Flygbussarna, GEAB, Gotland GPe Circuit AB, Gotlands Bilfrakt, Hutchinson, Matters Group, Eksj? Maskin & Truck, Region Gotland, NCC, OSAB, RISE, Science Park Gotland, Swedavia, Trafikverket, World Ecological Forum.

For more information, please visit www.smartroadgotland.com