CollERS, Swedish-German research collaboration on Electric Road Systems

The German government's climate protection plan sets a 45 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Zero emissions are to be achieved by 2050. The interim target for the transport sector is to reduce emissions by 40 to 42 percent by 2030. Compared to the reference year 1990, the German transport sector has not yet been able to reduce its emissions. To achieve the 2030 target, transport would have to reduce its current emissions of 170 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents by 70 million tonnes. Around 40 million tonnes are currently emitted by heavy-duty vehicles (gross vehicle weight > 3.5 tonne). The Swedish climate goals established by the government and parliament states that by 2045, Sweden will have net zero emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and should thereafter achieve negative emissions. Emissions from domestic transport, excluding domestic aviation, will be reduced by at least 70 percent by 2030 compared with 2010. Road traffic in Sweden generates 94 percent of the emissions of greenhouse gases from the domestic transport sector. In 2016, emissions from domestic road transport amounted to 15.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, which is 16.7 percent lower than in the reference year 2010. Among domestic road transports, passenger cars account for the major part of the emissions of greenhouse gases, 65 percent, followed by heavy-duty vehicles representing 21 percent. Scope of report Electric Road Systems (ERS) is a technology area with immense potential to reduce fossil fuel dependency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce air pollution as well as reduce noise in urban environments, while increasing energy efficiency in the transport sector. ERS is defined as a system enabling power transfer from the road to the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion and could be achieved through different power transfer technologies such as rail, overhead line, and wireless solutions. The definition of ERS is technologically open and various solutions are thus covered in this report. The implementation of ERS at national and international levels is likely to work together with the application of other solutions for cleaner transportation. This report therefore contains descriptions and comparisons of complementary technologies.