Electrified Road Systems: accelerating the transition to zero-emission logistics – webinar takeaways

On 11 June 2025, ALICE, in partnership with TU Delft, hosted a high-level webinar on Electrified Road Systems (ERS). The webinar focused on the current state of the technology, recent pilot results, and the steps needed to scale up its deployment across Europe.

Electrified Road Systems offer an alternative solution to decarbonize long-haul road freight. Technologies such as overhead catenary lines, wireless dynamic charging, and conductive rails enable electric vehicles to charge while in motion. Experts provided evidence and experiences on the value of these solutions as they enhance logistics performance by reducing the need for large batteries and downtime for static charging, still there is little traction to make bold steps to invest in these systems.

During the webinar, experts presented scientific findings and field experiences from Germany, Sweden, and the UK.

• Professor David Cebon from the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight explained how ERS lowers the total cost of ownership for freight operators by mitigating payload and time penalties associated with battery electric trucks. ERS is a much cheaper overall solution he said, answering an engaged audience.
• Dr Michael Lehmann from the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt, shared lessons from large-scale catenary ERS trials on German highways, demonstrating the system’s maturity and high reliability.
• Jakob Rogstadius from RISE highlighted system-wide benefits of ERS, including reduced infrastructure needs, lower investment risk, and the potential to accelerate vehicle retrofitting.

Additionally, the perspectives of Ted Zotos from the IRU and Håkan Sundelin part of the European Sustainable Transport Forum and Electreon, underlining the importance of interoperability, investment coordination and alignment with EU regulations such as AFIR.

This webinar is part of ALICE’s work to update the Long Distance Freight Transport Roadmap, which is being carried out in collaboration with ERTRAC and as part of STRENGTH-M project. Including ERS part of this roadmap reflects its potential role in creating cost-effective, scalable pathways to net zero long distance freight transport.

A full report of the webinar is available exclusively to Webinar participants and ALICE members on the ALICE Knowledge Platform. The key takeaways will be incorporated in the Long-Distance Freight Transport Roadmap to be published within this year.

Are you interested in contributing to the future of ERS in Europe? Get in touch with the ALICE Secretariat at info@etp-logistics.eu or complete this post-webinar questionnaire.