Electric Highways - rethinking long distance heavy transport

To power electric trucks across long distances engineers are taking another look at a century old solution: Stringing electrical cables over the road.
Scania and Siemens have trialed the technology in Sweden and Germany and are now in agreement with the A35 Austostrada in Italy to build the first six chilometres of electric highway between Romano di Lombardia and Calcio.

Electricity is transferred via a movable arm that attaches to the tracks built into the middle of the road. While the system is designed with the capacity to feed heavier vehicles such as trucks, it's also developed to work for cars and buses.

When vehicles approach the track, a sensor from the car or truck detects the electrified rail and the movable arm lowers from underneath the vehicle and inserts into the rail.
For a heavy truck to be 100% electric it would need a battery that weighs 40 tonnes. But if technology like the eRoad was readily available, the truck's battery would be able to weigh as little as 600 kilograms.

Image copyright Siemens