Electric roads, also known as electrified roads, are advanced infrastructure systems that transfer electricity from the road to vehicles, enabling dynamic charging while in motion (Kumar & Yadav, 2023). This innovative technology addresses significant challenges faced by electric vehicles (EVs), such as limited battery range and lengthy charging times as mentioned by the same authors. There are three main types of electric road systems (ERS): conductive, inductive, and overhead catenary. Conductive systems rely on physical contact with electrified tracks embedded in the road, exemplified by Sweden's eRoadArlanda, which uses a movable arm to connect vehicles to an electrified rail (European Road Transport Research Advisory Council, 2020). Inductive systems, such as Sweden’s SmartRoad Gotland, use electromagnetic fields to wirelessly charge vehicles via coils buried beneath the road (Schwirzke, Albrecht, & Jepsen, 2022). Overhead catenary systems, like Germany's eHighway project, use overhead wires to charge trucks via a pantograph (Kumar & Yadav, 2023).Electric roads offer several advantages, including dynamic charging that reduces reliance on stationary chargers, improved energy efficiency, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, making them an essential tool for decarbonization (European Road Transport Research Advisory Council, 2020). They also integrate smart technologies such as traffic and weather sensors (Schwirzke et al., 2022). However, challenges such as high installation costs, maintenance requirements, and the need for standardization hinder widespread adoption. Despite these obstacles, electric roads have the potential to revolutionize transportation by enabling sustainable and efficient EV charging (Kumar & Yadav, 2023).
Thesis statement (your assertion):
With features such as dynamic charging pods and smart infrastructure, electric roads are poised to be the future of transportation by enhancing energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions and enabling the widespread use of electric vehicles in daily travels.
Support #1: The use of dynamic charging pods in electric roads reduces the need for fuel, reducing carbon emissions. On average, it was reported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency that transportation sector contributes to a significant 29 per cent of the total greenhouse gas emissions in United States(Nguyen et al, 2024). Electric roads contains charging sensors and detects the battery level in electric cars(Petri & Mikko, 2021). These batteries are sourced from the most common lithium-ion chemistries such as nickel manganese cobalt(NMC) and Lithium Iron Phosphate(LIP)(Umesh, 2024) . LIP is much affordable, safer and a lower energy density. NMC has a higher energy density, expensive and not environmentally friendly in comparison to LIP. Many companies desire to for a cheaper, safer, environmentally friendly and higher energy density material for their batteries. In addition, these batteries can be recycled and up to one-fifth of the production waste is used for the next battery production. This has two aims - one, the scarcity of the metals used in batteries is reused and two, avoiding harmful batteries materials to pollute our landfill and play the role of an alternative supply to making batteries. Hence, the use of batteries in electric roads reduces the greenhouse gas emissions, providing a more environmentally friendly solution to fuel for the future.
Support #2: Electric roads reduce the reliance on traditional charging infrastructure such as stationary charging stations. This ensures smooth travel over long distances, eliminating range anxiety and making electric vehicles more practical for widespread use across urban and rural places(Mackenzie, 2024). The wireless charging from electric roads to electric vehicles while driving also removes the burden of carrying large and heavy batteries. Hence, the convenience of electric roads make it a factor of use for individuals alike in the long run.
Counterargument: Electric roads are expensive to build and maintain, where building it alone may hinder the daily lives of people. Taking Sweden as an example, it has an approximate 5 million passenger cars, 50000 heavy trucks and 15600 km of national and European roads(Mats, 2019). With the current electric road technologies, electric roads take about 10 million per kilometer per driving lane to build, in Swedish currency. It can be assumed to have a 20-year lifespan. The Swedish economy has not been doing well with a high public debt in the last 2 years(European Union, 2024). However, the Swedish economy is projected to recover from early 2025. During the building of electric roads, more lanes have to be closed which can affect individual's travel to the city or rural area. With maintenance of electric roads, electric vehicles will have to travel with other vehicles which does not solve the root cause of problem of traffic congestion on roads. These delays commuters' travel time, making it inconvenient for them. With an economy that is recovering and the costs involved in building electric roads, it is almost not possible to build electric roads all around the city.
Despite what was said on top, Sweden had built 1.65 kilometers of electric roads from the airport to the city center of Visby by the end of 2020(Electreon, n.d.). It has proven to be durable and convenient for travelers, halving their travelling time. This also helps in Sweden's environmental efforts.
Conclusion: In essence, with electric vehicles becoming much more affordable to own, electric roads become a complement to it(Mats, 2019). It depends on a country's financial and the number of vehicles on roads. The building of electric roads is a long-term plan that has benefits to the environment and individuals.
References:
European Road Transport Research Advisory Council. (2020). Electric road systems: A solution for more sustainable road freight transport. Retrieved from https://www.ertrac.org
Kumar, R., & Yadav, S. (2023). Electric road systems: Recent advancements, challenges, and future trends. Energy Reports, 9, 197-208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2023.01.022
Schwirzke, M., Albrecht, F., & Jepsen, T. (2022). The evolution of inductive electric roads: A technological perspective. Journal of Transportation Technology, 13(4), 115-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/jtrantech.2022.03.008
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