As the world turns to EV cars…what’s next may be EV roads. Swedish-based European telecommunications company Tele2 has announced that its IoT division has made inroads in EV charging infrastructure, through an equipment partnership with Swedish tech startup Elonroad to electrify roads that will charge EV cars while driving.
Lund-based Elonroad has developed a manufacturer-agnostic electric road that is said to be compatible with all classes of electric vehicles (cars, buses and trucks). The firm is betting that as EV transportation increases, charging-while-driving will reduce traffic bottlenecks and enable smaller batteries.
“Our smart electric road needs to be connected to the internet in order for us to be able to control, optimize, and collect payments from users,” said Elonroad CEO Karin Ebbinghaus. “The agreement with Tele2 is business-critical for us on our continued journey.”
Through 2CONTROL, Tele2 IoT’s platform for managing connected devices, Elonroad will be able to monitor and manage its IoT subscriptions. Elonroad’s service includes an integrated control system for individual measurement of each vehicle’s usage and can also analyze road conditions, such as location of potential hazards, which can then be communicated to prevent accidents.
The solution consists of a rail that is integrated with the road by being installed directly on the asphalt. The rails can withstand all weather conditions and short rail segments are driven individually, which provides a high level of safety.
“Elonroad is an exciting startup with a solution that will be critical to achieve the goal of a fossil-independent vehicle fleet by 2030,” said Tele2 EVP Stefan Trampus, in a statement on the partnership. ” By making 5G available, we secure Elonroad’s digital solution and ensure a reliable connection. As soon as 5G becomes available where Elonroad builds its electric roads, larger amounts of data that require low latency can e handled, such as the transfer of data from cameras. We are very proud to be a part of Elonroad’s continued journey.”
In May of this year, Elonroad announced that it had received SEK 22 million (about $2.4 million) in new growth capital from a consortium of investors including Bring Ventures and the EU-backed EIT Urban Mobility fund.
