System investments in electrified heavy transportation are scaled up

Heavy transportation currently accounts for a third of road transport emissions in Sweden. Switching to an electrified and efficient freight transport system on roads and in our cities is an important step towards a sustainable society.

E-Charge – electrified long-distance transportation

Since 2021, E-Charge has brought together actors from across the transport system to develop and test electric trucks that can handle really long-distance heavy transport. Now the project has been granted funding of SEK 102 million through the Vehicle Strategic research and Innovation (FFI) program for a new period starting in 2025. This means that many more trucks can be rolled out in a large system demonstration on Swedish roads.

– In the first part of E-Charge, we are testing individual prototype vehicles and chargers. Now we are scaling up to understand how the system is affected when a large part of the fleet is electrified. The scaling up is requested by several parties and together we want to accelerate the transition to fossil-free transportation, says Gunnar Ohlin, project manager, E-Charge.

Charging at the same time - a prerequisite

E-Charge's focus going forward will be to get more vehicles into operation in a relatively concentrated geography to investigate how it works when more drivers need to charge their vehicles simultaneously in terminals, depots and rest areas.

– The commercial the actors do not have time to wait for charging and it must be done at a reasonable cost. The system must be reliable and efficient for the actors to dare to take the step and invest in the new technology. With the project we want to show that this is possible, says Gunnar Ohlin.

To be able to efficiently power the most demanding long-distance transports, high-power charging, known as Megawatt Charging System, MCS, is required. Standardization of MCS is underway and is expected to be completed in 2026. The first cars will therefore use prototype chargers developed in the project.

The system must be reliable and efficient for the actors to dare to take the step and invest in the new technology.

Research is an important part of the project. The results provide valuable insights and work is now continuing in the next phase of the project.

HITS - Sustainable logistics solutions in urban environments

Projektet HITS stands for “sustainable and integrated urban transport systems” and takes a holistic approach to urban freight transport. The aim is to streamline transportation and reduce emissions and noise to create a more attractive street environment. The project has, among other things, carried out pilots for off-peak deliveries and consolidation, in which several commercial businesses participated.

Now HITS can begin a third round with 19 million SEK in funding. The participating project partners account for an equal amount.

The project manager for HITS, Jack Lu, notes that the funding enables insights from the project's earlier phase to be utilized and that solutions that are not yet mature for the market can be further developed and scaled up in a real environment.

Collects all actors in the system

- Now we have two more years to work together. These are challenges that no single actor can solve on their own. HITS brings together parties that otherwise would not meet, such as the city, vehicle manufacturers, haulage companies, property owners and researchers, says Jack Lu.

Over the next two years, HITS will focus on moving from pilot to implementation in three areas: Consolidation services, safer and more secure deliveries, and smart and efficient delivery flows. This will take place at three demonstration sites in the Stockholm area.

Both HITS and E-Charge are examples of so-called system demonstrators and are funded through the Swedish Vehicle Strategic research and Innovation (FFI), where business and the public sector collaborate to accelerate the transition to sustainable road transport.

These are challenges that no single actor can solve on their own. HITS brings together parties that would otherwise not meet, such as the city, vehicle manufacturers, haulage companies, property owners and researchers.

Anna Karlsson, programme manager at Vinnova, sees great benefits with large-scale and long-term system investments, such as E-Charge and HITS.

- It is only when tests are carried out on a larger scale in a real environment that all aspects of the new thing come to the surface. The technology is one thing, but what happens when the technology meets laws and regulations? Are there business models that work and are those who are expected to use the technology willing to do so? Broad collaboration is required, says Anna Karlsson.

Experience shows, according to Anna Karlsson, that really large tests need to be built up in stages, where broad, close-knit teams can continue to work and exchange previous lessons learned.

What is a system demonstrator?

A system demonstrator is a tool for testing solutions to complex challenges in a real-world environment. Here, innovative solutions can be tested against laws and regulations, infrastructure and business models, culture and norms.
The goal is to scale up the solution, for example from a neighborhood to an entire city.
There are system demonstrators for everything from electrification of heavy transportation to climate-neutral cities.

It is only when tests are carried out on a larger scale in a real environment that all aspects of the new come to the surface. Technology is one thing, but what happens when technology meets laws and regulations?

Visit the website for Vehicle Strategic research and Innovation (FFI) - a collaboration program between the state and the automotive industry, where Vinnova is one of the partners : Our offers - FFI - Road transport innovations for a sustainable society