New innovation project will solve electrical truck charging in the future

Transport electrification is a crucial piece of the puzzle in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, a burning issue for the climate. A prerequisite for electrified freight transport is good access to sustainable, efficient, and smart charging stations, which is why Greenfood is participating in an innovation project that will develop and install a scalable concept for charging heavy vehicles. The project has just received funding from Vinnova, and is being run by Greenfood, Elonroad, Öresundskraft and Lund University of Technology in Sweden.

Transportation accounts for as much as 33 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, it is an area where there are great opportunities to reduce its impact on our climate. For the food industry, transport is particularly important, especially as the handling of fresh food requires fast and efficient deliveries. This places high demands on smart and climate-friendly charging infrastructure that enables time-efficient transport and a high degree of utilization of the vehicle fleet.

“In order for the food industry to be able to reduce emissions from transport, an efficient charging concept is required that can be installed at logistics terminals. The first step is to test and evaluate Elonroad's charging concept. It will take place at our new food facility in Helsingborg, where we are currently building the food and logistics centre of the future with a focus on modern technology and sustainability,” said Anna Klenell, Project Manager and Sustainability Manager at Greenfood.

The innovation project includes Greenfood, Elonroad, Öresundskraft and Lund University. The goal is for the project to increase knowledge about how heavy vehicle charging at logistics terminals can be designed. Then the concept can be rolled out to Greenfood's various facilities in the country, as well as to other logistics terminals.

“Cross-industry collaborations enable an even higher rate of innovation for us, where our charging system is an important complement for the transport sector to be able to charge faster, without sacrificing either uptime or load capacity,” Karin Ebbinghaus, CEO of Elonroad, said.

Elonroad develops and manufactures electric road systems that enable automatic charging both when parked at, for example, terminals, but also while driving. The system enables longer range, lower power consumption, load balancing and smaller batteries in electric vehicles.

“This is another step in the transition to a sustainable transport system. Together, we will develop a cost-effective and flexible way to charge lorries, a way that suits drivers and hauliers, the hauliers' customers and the electricity network owners,” said Håkan Zaar, Project Manager at Öresundskraft.