New research investigates the potential impacts of implementing ERS technologies on the Rotterdam-Antwerp motorway corridor, which links the two largest ports in Europe.
Electric road systems (ERS) are technologies designed to power appropriately equipped road transport vehicles with electricity from road infrastructure while in motorway traffic. ERS technologies fall into three categories based on the mode of power transfer: overhead catenary, ground conductive, and ground inductive. The energy supplied by these systems is used for both propulsion and charging vehicle batteries, which can be utilized when the vehicle leaves the electrified road section. Other energy sources, such as diesel, natural gas, or hydrogen, can be used when the vehicle is away from the ERS.
The goal of the research is to identify the most suitable route for ERS implementation between the ports, evaluate the economic performance differences among the various ERS technologies, determine the required and potentially available ERS vehicle traffic volumes for successful implementation, estimate the investment needed to build the system and assess whether the ERS operator and transport operators can achieve profitability in this corridor.
The findings indicate that the route between Rotterdam and Antwerp along motorway E19 is the most economically viable for electrification. The calculations show that the traffic volume on the Rotterdam-Antwerp corridor justifies the economic investment in ERS infrastructure rollout and operation. Early adoption of ERS technology can prove highly profitable for transport operators, particularly those with a specific client base usually served from one of the ports along the electrified route.
Source: Aronietis, R., Vanelslander, T. Economic Impacts of the Electric Road System Implementation on Rotterdam-Antwerp Corridor. Preprints 2024, 2024070843. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0843.v1