2017 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo, Asia-Pacific (ITEC Asia-Pacific)
Dynamic Charging Solutions in Sweden
An Overview
Mats Alaküla, Professor
Division of Industrial Electrical Engineering
Lund University
Lund, Sweden
mats.alakula@iea.lth.se
Abstract — Dynamic Charging, meaning supplying electric
energy to electric vehicles while moving and also referred to as
Electric Road Systems (ERS), can be implemented in a number
of different ways. In Sweden, no less than four different
technologies are being developed and/or demonstrated. This is, in
an international comparison, unique. This paper represents an
effort to describe these different technologies and their known
and expected properties.
Keywords— Charging Solutions, Dynamic Charging,
Continuous Charging, Electric Roads.
I. INTRODUCTION
In 2005 the Swedish Prime Minister at the time, Göran
Persson, initiated an investigation that lead to a decision that
Sweden by 2030 should have a vehicle fleet independent of
fossil fuels. This is a significant challenge and one of the
pathways identified is a full electrification of the road transport
system. This paper focus on the efforts made to reach fossil
independence via full electrification, based on direct or indirect
electric energy supply, but excluding the use of fuel cells or
“electro fuels”.
A full electrification of road vehicles based on charging of
batteries is differently challenging for different vehicle types.
Cars can, as demonstrated by several commercially
available brands, provide 200-500 km of range on one full
charge of the batteries. This requires batteries in the range 50-
100+ kWh. Most cars are not driven very far on a daily basis
but occasionally and then fast charging at power levels over
100 kW is expected to keep down the charging time to 10-30
minutes.
City Buses that typically operate 200-300 km per day and
use 1.5 kWh per kilometer need over 300-450 kWh of battery
capacity if they are to be charged only nighttime. With repeated
opportunity charging of e.g. 10 km range at a time (on a bus
line end stop) in 6 minutes the same bus need to be charged
with at least 150 kW charging power, even though 300 kW is
being used and up to 600 kW is an ambition. Both these
alternatives are commercially available. The >300 kW battery
option provides a simple charging solution (nighttime) but a
really heavy battery that displaces several passenger seats in
terms of weight. The opportunity charging solution on the other
hand uses a much lighter battery but requires a high power
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Francisco J. Márquez-Fernández, IEEE Member
Division of Industrial Electrical Engineering
Lund University
Lund, Sweden
fran.marquez@iea.lth.se
automatic charging infrastructure that is not always so easy to
find suitable locations for in an existing city plan. Buses with
longer driving range, like Regional Buses or Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT), cannot be supplied in this way and currently lack a
suitable commercial solution for full electrification.
Distribution Trucks are typically used 50-200 km per day
and consume about 1.0 kWh/km, meaning that they need a
relatively large battery (200+ kWh) to be prepared for the
longer route days. Opportunity charging at relatively high
power, e.g. 50-100 kW, would facilitate a much smaller
battery, but it requires an automatic charging infrastructure that
needs to be available at many goods terminals and loading
docks. The charging infrastructure need is similar to that of city
buses, but with the important difference that the stops the
distribution trucks do are not as geographically regular as those
of fixed bus lines. Thus the incentive to invest in automatic
high power charging stations at many/most loading docks and
goods terminals is low.
Long Haul Trucks drive up to 4 hours at a time, while
consuming typically up to 150 kW of traction power, then
resting for 45 minutes before starting a new 4 hour drive. This
means that they would need 600 kWh of available energy per 4
hour drive, possibly stored in an 800 kWh battery. Such a
battery would weigh 5-10 tons, an impossible concept for a
commercial solution. On top of that, the charging of 600 kWh
in 45 minutes would need an automatic charging installation of
up to 1 MW of charging power. There are no such solutions
available.
A conclusion that can be drawn from the above described
vehicles is that the amount of energy, and thus the weight, of
the battery installations, generally is on a scale from high to
impossible. The Cars carry over half a ton of batteries,
technically possible but expensive and contributing to a higher
than necessary energy consumption. The City Bus and
Distribution Trucks are also technically possible, but not the
Regional Bus or BRT. The Long Haul Truck is an impossible
application for battery only operation.
With this background, the use of Continuous Charging or
Dynamic Charging or Electric Road Systems (ERS) offers a
possibility to reduce the need for batteries significantly. If any
of the above discussed vehicles would be able to charge from
significant parts of the road travelled, the need for batteries can
be shown to drop by 80 % or more. Instead follows a cost on
 2017 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo, Asia-Pacific (ITEC Asia-Pacific)
the ERS infrastructure. In [1] a cost comparison between
alternative charging infrastructures is made, and some of them
include various forms of ERS. The conclusion of that study is
clearly that ERS are a powerful tool to reduce the total societal
cost for electrification of road transport, some forms potentially
more powerful than others.
ERS systems are not a new concept at all. Apart from
electrified rail transport, that uses a continuous supply, Trolley
Buses are examples of “non-rail” transport solutions that also
use a form of continuous supply. The Trolley technology is
more than a hundred years old, but since last millennial shift it
is subject to significant development. To use a classical
formulation; it is “reinvented”.
Electric power transfer can at least be done in three
different ways; I) conductively, that is like with almost all rail
bound traffic, II) inductively, via a high frequency magnetic
field (a.k.a. “inductive charging”), and III) capacitively, via a
high frequency electric field. The capacitive solution is, due to
a very low energy density of electric fields, very sparsely
investigated and there are no efforts to use this in ERS. The
conductive and inductive alternatives are however extensively
studied also for ERS applications. This paper is not written to
compare these two, but to compare the different conductive
solutions that are studied and tested in Sweden.
In Sweden, four different conductive ERS solutions are
being developed and demonstrated:
1. Siemens eHighway. This is an overhead line based
system.[2], [3]
2. Alstom APS. This is an adaption of the ground based
APS system by Alstom originally developed for tram
supply. [4], [5]
3. Elways. This is a ground based system with similarities
to the Alstom APS. [6], [7]
4. Elonroad. This is a ground based system a bit different
from the previous in being mounted on top of the road.
[8].
Two of these (# 3 & 4) are 100 % Swedish innovations and
one of them (# 2) is developed in a joint effort between Alstom
and AB Volvo. The following sections describe these one by
one for systematic comparison. The notion ERS only refers to
conductive ERS from here on.
II. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
A. Orientation
The ERS supply can be made from three possible
directions:
1. From the top. This corresponds to Overhead Wires, like
in most rail bound systems.
2. From the side. This is primarily used in Subway train
supplies, a.k.a. “third rail” systems.
3. From the road surface. This is a supply arranged in or
on the road surface.
All these have benefits and drawbacks. Supplies from the
top cannot be reached by smaller vehicles like cars, but do not
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interfere with the road structure itself, however they pose a
safety hazard on the occasion of a fallen down power
conductor. Supplies from the side cannot be used by more than
the outmost lane in a multi-lane road and present safety issues
for the space between the vehicle and the road side. Supplies
from the road surface can be used by almost all vehicles but
interfere with the road construction, are subject to
environment in the form of water, snow, ice, dirt and debris
and pose a touch safety hazard.
B. Sectioning
Since an ERS is considered to cover long distances, like
10’s of kilometers, the electric powering of the ERS must be
made in such a way that no powered part of the ERS can be
touched. There are several solutions to provide touch safety:
1 Hanging the powered conductors at a sufficient height
above the road not to be reachable, just like with a rail
bound overhead supply. This solution needs no
sectioning.
2 Sectioning the ERS in the longitudinal direction and
powering only sections long enough to be covered by
the vehicle supplied from the ERS. This can include a
virtual vehicle length in front of or behind the vehicle
which in that case only allows powering such a section
at a certain speed of the vehicle. To handle low or zero
speed the section length must be significantly shorter
than the vehicle itself.
3 Applying some kind of physical or sensor based touch
protection (“shield”) that de-powers active ERS sections
if the protection is penetrated.
Combinations of these are also possible and, in the case
with ground based solutions, necessary. An active section
underneath a vehicle should be surrounded by a “shield” that
instantly de-powers that section if the shield is broken, like if a
hand is inserted under the vehicle or a pet walks in.
C. Other safety aspects
Any power transfer interface is subject to losses and thus
heat development. With a conductive ERS it is possible to
charge at very low or even no speed. Local heating of the
power transfer interface is thus a potential cause of fire, should
a combustible material unintentionally end up near/on the
interface. Thus heat detection systems are an essential part of
an ERS, used to cut the power transfer if needed.
D. Galvanic isolation
All conductive ERS have one aspect in common; the supply
does not offer any reliable protective earth connector allowing
the vehicle chassis to be grounded during operation. This
means that special care has to be adopted on board the vehicle,
with some kind of “double isolation” of the drive system
components that are connected to the ERS system.
 2017 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo, Asia-Pacific (ITEC Asia-Pacific)
III. SIEMENS eHIGHWAY
This technology is a combination of Trolley and Railway
technology, in that two “trolley like” power conductors are
used together with two “train like” parallel mounted
synchronized pantographs.
A. Physical build up and power supply
The two overhead lines are mounted hanging from beams at
5.15 meters height, 1.35 meters apart. The power supply is
made with 750 V DC with feed in points every few km. Figure
III-1 shows a truck in operation.
Figure III-1 A Truck using Siemens eHighway system
B. Safety concept
The electric power is supplied continuously, i.e. even when
no truck is using a particular section of the eHighway. The
safety to touching is solved by the mounting height of the
power conductors.
C. Connection
The connection to the vehicles is made with two parallel
mounted pantographs. Figure III-1 and Figure III-2 shows the
pantograph in active position.
Figure III-2 The eHighway pantographs seen from the
roof
A demonstration of this technology is made on a 2 km long
road [X] outside the city of Sandviken in Sweden. This road
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has been in operation since fall 2016 and is mainly used for
technology development and demonstrations.
IV. ALSTOM APS
Alstom APS is originally a tram supply system, developed
in the end of the last century in France and first adopted as tram
supply in the city of Bordeaux in France. Since then it is used
in many cities in both France and elsewhere. The original APS
system is based on a single track positioned in between the rails
of a tram line, see Figure IV-1.
Figure IV-1. The original Alstom APS system.
The track is powered in 11 meter track sections, supplied
from underground power boxes alongside the tram line, each
power box able to supply two subsequent 11 meter track
sections. The conducting track sections are separated by
isolating sections. This system is in operation since 2003 and
used for more than 25 million kilometers of travel distance
with the involved trams.
A. Physical build up and power supply
With the cooperation between AB Volvo and Alstom
Transport, an adaption of the APS system to road vehicles was
made. Since it is a conductive system, a return path is needed
for the current. Thus two tracks of the same geometry as in the
original APS system are used, separated by 15 cm. The supply
voltage is 750 V DC and since the technology is reusing tram
equipment it is technically capable of supplying up to 1.5
Megawatt per vehicle, i.e. much more than needed even by a
full electric Long Haul Truck.
Figure IV-2 The road vehicle adapted APS system.
 2017 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo, Asia-Pacific (ITEC Asia-Pacific)
One of the tracks (the right in Figure IV-2) is connected to
ground voltage in the supply end and thus serves as return
conductor for the supply current. It also serves as a lateral
potential shield. On the other side of the active track, another
potential shield is mounted, as a grounded steel beam
embedded in the road (gnd) just below the road surface, the
darker conductor in Figure IV-2. The middle conductor is the
one that is switched (0/+) on request from connected vehicles.
B. Safety Concept
The safety builds mainly on segments being activated when
they are (partly) covered by the vehicle. The segments can be
allowed to be longer than the vehicle with an extent of about 1
second in front of or behind the vehicle. Thus the segmentation
length is speed dependent and on roads with lower speed
limits, shorter segmentation lengths are needed. A minimum
speed is required to excite the system. In the current test track
outside Gothenburg the active segment length is 22 meters,
thus needing a power box every 44 meter.
The power boxes that switch on/off the segments are
upgraded with solid state switches instead of contactors, due to
much higher traffic intensity on a road than on a tram line. A
safety system locks the switched powered segment to ground in
the event of an indication of safety concern, such as a ground
fault. The tram variant of the APS system is in extensive use
since 2003 and no electric accidents have occurred since – an
indication of a well-functioning safety concept.
C. Connection
Figure IV-3 shows the “pick-up”, a nickname used here for
the corresponding function of the pantograph to the overhead
eHighway system. The pick-up is able to adjust laterally and
vertically to compensate for movements of the vehicle while
maintaining connection to the ERS. The figure shows an early
version of the pick-up, mounted on the rear end of the vehicle
for easy access. The full pick-up today is mounted on one of
the main beams under the truck and barely visible from the
outside.
The positioning of the pick-up is based on a combination of
several sensor technologies and servo motors.
Figure IV-3 The APS System adapted for trucks
The very first road equipped with this technology was built
on an enclosed test track outside Gothenburg in Sweden 2012.
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The power boxes do in this case supply 22 meters (2x11) of
track at a time. (NOTE!! before it states 2x22 = 44 meters)
V. ELWAYS
This type of ERS is similar to the Alstom APS solution,
with one major difference: the two tracks are positioned about
10 cm below the road surface, in two parallel slots, see Figure
V-1.
A. Physical build up and power supply
The power conductors are located at the bottom of the slots.
The main structure is made from a non-conductive composite
material and the top surface is covered with a grounded steel
layer. The latter provides a ground shield to the road surface.
Figure V-1 The Elways ERS seen from the surface
The Elways track is supplied with a symmetric bipolar AC
voltage of grid frequency. The midpoint of the supply voltage
is electric neutral which in the feed-in point has the same
potential as the top surface level of the road.
A system of power boxes alongside the road is needed to
power the individual sections in a similar way as with the
Alstom APS system.
B. Safety Concept
Elways offer two major safety measures. One is based on
sectioning, in a similar way as the Alstom APS. The other is
due to the grounded surface layer of the ERS tracks. If an
object is inserted into a slot, it is most likely grounded at the
road surface level by being in contact with the upper parts of
the track. This trigger ground fault protection systems and
disconnect the section.
The section length has the same dependencies on vehicle
length and speed as the Alstom solution.
C. Connection
Since the ERS system is based on slots, the pick-up in this
case is guided by the slots and need, once positioned in the slot,
no additional guidance. Other than that, the pick-up is
essentially a movable arm with a sliding connector that fits in
the slots. The connector is formed in a way that promotes “self-
cleaning” of the slot by the movement of the connector along
the slot. This can handle normal loads of snow and dirt. A deep
frozen slot is opened with a special device connected to a snow
plow, see Figure V-2.
 2017 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo, Asia-Pacific (ITEC Asia-Pacific)
Figure V-2 Elways track right after plowing a snowy road
wintertime
A 2 km demo track will be built on a public road outside
Arlanda Airport in Stockholm during 2017, to supply truck
traffic between the Airport and a logistics centre in Rosersberg.
VI. ELONROAD
Elonroad is mounted on top of the road, with no parts other
than connection to the power supply dug down into the road.
A. Physical Build Up and power supply
The Elonroad ERS is about 400 mm wide and 50 mm high.
The top surface consists, in the longitudinal direction, of 1
meter sections of contact surfaces separated by a 100 mm
isolating part, see Figure VI-1. Every second contact surface is
always connected to a near-zero voltage main conductor. The
remaining contact surfaces are switched between the near zero
voltage and the supply voltage which nominally is 600 V DC,
but 750 V is an option. The sides of the track are framed with
potential shields connected to protective earth in the feed-in
end of the track..
Figure VI-1 The Elonroad system
The power supply and the switching elements, as well as all
control logic, communication, protection etc. are integrated in
the track. The switching elements are IGBT transistors, in
parallel connection. Due to this design, very long stretches of
Elonroad ERS can be built from one supply, typically 200-500
meters. Since the supply is fed from one end, each supply
station can feed up to one kilometer of Elonroad ERS, 500
meters upstream and 500 meters downstream from the feed-in
point.
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B. Safety concept
The safety of this system is based on coverage by the
vehicle and a touch protection (see Section II.B ) located on the
underbody of the vehicle. Since the active segments are so
short (1 meter), most vehicle sizes cover the active segments
with a good margin even at zero speed.
The activation of the road is based on radio communication,
both between the road and the vehicle, and between the vehicle
and the “base station”, i.e. the rectifier station at the feed-in
point. A segment can only be activated by a specific vehicle
during a short time window.
C. Connection
Due to the layout with 1 meter sections and 10 cm isolation,
a continuous supply of power to the vehicle requires a pick-up
that is almost 1.5 meters long, with three connection points.
The foremost connector establishes contact just before the
rearmost lose contact. In Figure VI-2 the principle is illustrated.
Note the three green pick up contacts.
Figure VI-2 The Elonroad ERS principle and supply
A 200 meter test track with the Elonroad system is built
during mid 2017 on an enclosed track outside the city of Eslöv
in southern Sweden.
VII. OTHER SYSTEMS
Apart from the presented development and demonstrations
in Sweden, there are at least two other developments that
should be mentioned:
1. Japanese Honda has developed a system for
conductive supply from the side, currently designed
for 180 kW @ 156 km/h but are aiming for 450 kW of
power transfer at 200 km/h vehicle speed, see Figure
VII-1. [10]
2. The Italian company Ansaldo has the product
Tramwave. It is a dug down solution with a magneto
mechanical activation of 50 cm segments, see Figure
VII-2. [11]
 2017 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo, Asia-Pacific (ITEC Asia-Pacific)

IX. CONCLUSIONS
ERS technology shows very interesting properties as a
main supply of electrified road traffic, with the potential to
significantly reduce societal cost for a full electric road traffic.
The different solutions developed and/or demonstrated in
Sweden and described in this paper, as well as other efforts
mentioned in Section VII illustrate a strong development of the
original “Trolley” technology.
Figure VII-1 The Honda system The ideal ERS system should be capable to supply not only
heavy vehicles on the highway, but also small vehicles like
cars, and not only at high speed but also in city speed and in
particular even at standstill. In the latter case the same solution
can be used both for static and dynamic charging. All the
presented solutions have the potential to fulfill at least some of
these requirements and some of the solutions could possibly
fulfill them all.
In conclusion, the ERS solutions presented have the
potential to change electric road transport in its fundament.
Significantly smaller batteries, lighter vehicles, cheaper
vehicles, lower energy consumption and lower societal cost are
Figure VII-2 The Ansaldo Tramwave system among the foreseen advantages of generalized ERS
deployment. During the next few years extensive real life wear
of the demonstrators mentioned will be performed, and the
VIII. COMPARISON AND DISCUSSION experience thus built will be the base for future choices.
The four different ERS technologies described in this paper
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