Sweden’s second largest container port, the Port of Helsingborg, tests new electric road system to cut emissions and explore fossil-free transports

Beginning this autumn, the Port of Helsingborg in Sweden will test a new high-tech electric road concept from Swedish company Elonroad. The system charges all types of electric vehicles from a power strip in the road, whether they are parked or on the move. During the city’s international event H22 City Expo, 30 May-3 July 2022, visitors will be able to learn more about how an electrified transport sector can contribute to lower emissions and reduced noise in the urban environment. Initially, two of the port's electric vehicles will test the charging solution to gain insights into how to convert to fossil-free transports in their operations.

The domestic transport sector accounts for about one third of Sweden's greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing those emissions is a major challenge as fossil fuels remain the dominant energy sources.

“Testing this new electric road system is another step on our journey towards becoming Sweden's most sustainable port. This is an exciting concept to explore and showcase during H22 City Expo next summer. 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,” says Christina Argelius, Chief Technology Officer, Port of Helsingborg.

The power strips, approximately ten metres long, are glued to the asphalt and are then connected to a power source. Since it involves conductive charging, i.e. physical contact between the vehicle and power strip/rail, the cars need to be equipped with sliding contacts that automatically fold down to touch both the positive and negative terminals in order to transfer the energy and charge the vehicle. The advantage of conductive charging is that you can transfer high power up to 300kW per vehicle with a 97.5% efficiency.

“Elonroad wants to be involved in shaping the smart city of the future by showing how we drive development within the electrification of transport and climate-smart mobility. An electric road system means better air quality and reduced noise pollution. Our joint initiative with the Port of Helsingborg, leading up to and during H22 City Expo, 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,” says Karin Ebbinghaus, CEO of Elonroad.

Municipal energy company Öresundskraft, which has enabled the electrification of ships and buses in Helsingborg, is also involved in the project to gain insights into new technology and how electrifying the transport sector will impact the energy system.

You can read more about Elonroad’s electric road technology here: The road to a fossil-free society | H22

For more information and media inquiries, please contact:
Christina Argelius, Chief Technology Officer, Port of Helsingborg, +46 (0)73-670 6923 christina.argelius@port.helsingborg.se
Karin Ebbinghaus, CEO, Elonroad, +46 (0)70-339 5542, karin@elonroad.com

Port of Helsingborg:The Port of Helsingborg is the second-largest container port in Sweden and one of the leading ports in northern Europe. Every year they handle around 275,000 TEU* from shipping, and 75,000 TEU* from land transports. With efficient transport solutions by railway, road, and sea, day and night all year round, the Port of Helsingborg provides unique infrastructural opportunities for shipping companies, conveyors, and forwarding agents.

* The transport unit Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit, TEU, measures the volume that passes through the port. One TEU corresponds to the volume of a container with the measurements 8x9x20 feet or just over 36.25 m³.