The Scandinavian nation is clearly miles ahead of everyone else when it comes to sustainable eco-friendly mobility solutions.
Israeli tech firm Electreon Wireless has created the first EV charging road in Norway. We know how EV adoption has been rising exponentially in Norway in the last few years. As a matter of fact, in March this year, 91.5% of all new cars sold were electric. Out of these, 89.3% were battery-electric, 5.7% were hybrid-electric and 2.2% were plug-in hybrid cars. That is a testament to how popular EVs are in Norway. Now, taking things further, the Trondheim area of the country is getting access to a wireless charging stretch of road.
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EV Charging Road in Norway
The Israeli company is utilizing the principles of inductive charging to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of charging EVs on the go. You can imagine how convenient things will be if EV owners are able to replenish the range of their cars while driving. In order to achieve it, special copper coils are positioned beneath the road surface. At present, this is a 100-meter stretch built in the city of Trondheim. It will be examined for one year. Thereafter, further course of action will be ascertained based on the findings of this analysis.
During this time period, three electric buses from the Chinese manufacturer, Yutong and another Chinese bus by Higer will ply on this road. This pilot model will test the ability of this innovative technology to conclude whether it could be used as the sole energy source for buses. If the buses are able to operate uninterrupted throughout the day, it will be considered a massive success.
Another key aspect of this experiment is to monitor the performance of this charging system in the harsh winter season. During peak winters, the temperature can drop to around -20° C (-4° F). I know that some places across the world experience even lower temperatures. Still, this will give an idea about the efficiency of this system across a wide range of external conditions. This project will incur expected expenses worth up to 22.4 million Norwegian Kroner (USD $2.2 million). The Government of Norway has funded this experiment.
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I must admit this is a brilliant initiative by the Norwegian Government to further boost the infrastructure around EVs. Norway is undeniably the most advanced nation on the planet when it comes to electrified vehicles. Sure, the low population density is a huge factor in the relative ease of implementing such creative ideas. Still, credit must be given to the governments and citizens who have embraced the electric revolution with open arms.