Partnership update: Kalmar and Elonroad testing the power of dynamic charging

At Kalmar’s Innovation Centre in Ljungby, Sweden, a 200-metre electrified road was installed to charge heavy vehicles both while they are moving and when standing still. The aim is to reduce the need for large onboard batteries, ease pressure on the electricity grid, and increase vehicle uptime. These are key factors for making port and terminal operations more sustainable and efficient.

“I noticed quite early when it comes to the electrification of Kalmar vehicles that there will be a problem of getting enough onboard energy for continuous operations,” says Per-Erik Johansson, Kalmar’s Technology Manager for Electrification. He explains that this is where Elonroad’s solution makes a real difference, stating that the ultimate goal is to offer Kalmar’s customers a worry-free charging solution that delivers effectively unlimited onboard energy.

During 2024 and 2025, Kalmar and Elonroad have moved from concept to technology verification, showing significant progress this year. The first phase focused on a retrofitted Kalmar Electric Reachstacker equipped with an energy collector that connects automatically to the rail. The project has now entered its next stage with the adaptation of a Kalmar Terminal Tractor. This important milestone will allow the partners to validate the technology across different vehicle types and duty cycles.

For Elonroad, the collaboration has been equally transformative. CEO Karin Ebbinghaus describes working with a global industrial player like Kalmar as an exciting opportunity for a growing cleantech company. “Now that we have verified some of our technical and business assumptions, we can start deploying the system in real-life operations, which really excites me. Because it is only then that we can make a true climate impact.”

The project has captured strong attention across the industry. Growing interest from logistics and port operators shows that dynamic charging is gaining momentum as a scalable solution for the future of electric heavy-duty transport.

To conclude, Kalmar and Elonroad’s partnership has evolved from a bold concept to a demonstration of commercial potential, proving that dynamic charging is not only possible but a promising path forward for the future of electric heavy-duty transport.