Swedish ICT is a group of research institutes engaged in information and communications technology research and development. The institutes within Swedish ICT conduct research and development in several key areas, ranging from sensors and actuators, communication networks and data analytics to visualization, interaction design and service development. Viktoria Swedish ICT is the institute focused on sustainable mobility.

The various parts of electric road systems have been developed in several research projects over quite some time. Technology demonstrations are ongoing along the E16 road at Sandviken and being prepared between Arlanda Airport and Rosersberg Logistics area. Our goal is to gather and build knowledge about ERS in order to answer some of the considerable questions that remain.

—Håkan Sundelin, Project Manager at Viktoria Swedish ICT

The project has been granted SEK19 million (US$2.2 million) in funding from the Swedish Program for Strategic Vehicle Research and Innovation (FFI) and the Swedish Transport Administration. An industry contribution of SEK8 million ($930,000) gives a total investment of SEK27 million (US$3.1 million) for a term ending in 2019.

Successful introduction of ERS will require a supporting and strong innovation system. The purpose of the project is to strengthen the Swedish and Nordic research and innovation resources by building a joint knowledge base in cooperation between institutes, universities, authorities, industry, and demonstration sites.

The result will include clarification of the socio-economic conditions, benefits and other effects of ERS from different actors’ perspectives. Various implementation strategies will be evaluated and success factors will be identified. The project will establish an international cooperation and provide a basis for dialogue on future standards and regulations.

The project will work closely with ongoing ERS demonstrations in Sweden. The industry is participating as partners in the project and as members of an extensive reference group.

We are about to secure the technical solutions needed for electric roads and electric vehicles. In order to reach a full scale implementation a series of other questions needs to be solved, e.g. on business models and electrical infrastructure. This research and innovation platform is important since it unites actors from different fields in order to find the needed solutions.

—Torbjörn Holmström, Volvo Group Chief Technology Officer