The Swedish regions of Småland and Östergötland are pioneering solutions for fossil-free transport. The regions supply different types of biofuels and electric vehicles for private use , as well as for the transport of goods.
A number of organisations in these two regions of southern Sweden have designed a variety of solutions to enable a future run entirely on fossil-free fuels. Importantly, these solutions do not compete, but are elements that, together, provide transport for a society without fossil fuels. The transition towards sustainable transportation includes private vehicles, heavy goods trucks and public transport. For example, the buses in Östergötland are fuelled with biogas and biofuels, while the trains run on electricity from sustainable sources such as hydro and wind power.
A wide range of biofuels
One of the companies offering solutions for fossil-free transports is Energifabriken, which offers biofuels for private vehicles, trucks and boilers. The biofuels are supplied at its own filling stations, which can be found in most parts of Sweden. A key benefit of the company’s concept is that the biofuels can be used in a regular diesel engine, with no conversion required.
Lantmännen Agroetanol is another company that supplies lower-carbon fuels. Its biorefinery refines grain and other raw material into a number of products, including ethanol. The fuel is used for trucks with adapted diesel engines and flex-fuel cars, but is also mixed with petrol to slightly reduce carbon emissions. This is called ‘low-blend’, and the standard in Sweden is a blend of 5 percent ethanol in petrol.
Another fossil-free fuel is biogas, which is produced from organic waste from industries and households, and interest in this fuel is growing. Biogas filling stations can be found throughout Sweden, except for the most northern parts of the country. There are also plenty of suppliers of biogas. In Linköping, you can visit the local biogas plant owned by Svensk Biogas. It produces traditional biogas, but is also pioneering developments in the field of liquid biogas, a process that compresses the fuel and allows for more areas of use.
Modular electric trucks
Fossil-free modular transport and service solutions are the concept of Småland-based company Inzile. Inzile manufactures light electric trucks, with each truck assembled from different modules to meet customers’ needs. The light trucks can be used for tasks such as mail and ecommerce deliveries.
All the aforementioned companies are located in the neighbouring regions of Småland and Östergötland, which makes it feasible to visit a number of them on a single trip.
