No socket.
No problem.
While Europe argues over subsidies and battery factories, Sweden is quietly electrifying the road itself. Literally.
This week, we’re revisiting an earlier conversation with Karin Ebbinghaus, CEO of Elonroad — the Lund-based company building smart charging rails that transfer energy directly to electric vehicles while driving, parking or loading.
It’s a deep dive into what it takes to electrify heavy transport infrastructure, scale hardtech from scratch, and move from public pilots to commercial roll-out.
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Nordic Hardtech Podcast
This week: Elonroad’s CEO on charging, grit, and going all in.
Built to Charge – and Built to Last
"It takes guts. And timing."
When Karin Ebbinghaus joined Elonroad, it wasn’t just a career shift. It was a system shift. From Lego prototypes to CE-marked products, she’s been scaling charging rails that let vehicles power up while moving. This is the story of late leaps, physical innovation, and why Sweden’s electrification may start in ports, not on highways.
Karin Ebbinghaus never set out to lead a hardtech company. With two decades in law and a pivot into greentech investing, she came across Elonroad during her first week at Almi Invest. The team passed on the deal, but the idea stuck.
– I felt it physically. I just knew I’d regret not joining. Life’s too short not to take the leap, says Karin.
Elonroad builds charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Not stations, but rails — embedded in roads, parking areas or loading zones — that deliver energy to vehicles as they move or pause. What started as a Lego prototype is now a CE-marked product used in commercial pilots and early deployments.
– Everyone’s copying the old fueling model. Big batteries, quick stops. But electrons don’t work like diesel. We think energy should move with the vehicle, not interrupt it.
Their approach, which Karin calls “duttladdning” ("tap charging") distributes energy in short, seamless bursts. This reduces strain on the grid, extends battery life, and improves fleet uptime. It’s especially valuable in ports, terminals, and other high-throughput areas where every minute counts.
It’s a big leap to join a startup without buffers
Scaling a company like this isn’t easy. When Karin joined, the team had three people. Today they’re close to 30, with suppliers across southern Sweden and engineers in both Lund and Paris, says Karin.
– There’s a lot of talent here. But if you’ve spent your career at Axis or Sony Ericsson, it’s a big leap to join a startup without buffers. It takes guts. And timing.
Backed by pilots with Trafikverket (Sweden’s national transport authority) and partners like Kalmar (a leading manufacturer of cargo handling equipment), Elonroad has built credibility in public infrastructure. But the next phase is commercial. That means closing deals with operators who need electrification to scale and are willing to rethink their systems.
– We’ve seen real interest from ports and mining sites. Once they get that they can charge while operating, they start pitching our product back to us, says Karin.
Still, investment remains a challenge. Most VC funds aren’t designed for the timelines or risks of hardware-heavy infrastructure.
– We want to think like a tech company, but we’re building an industrial one. And that’s a tough fit for the current funding landscape, Karin explains.
Now, Elonroad is targeting markets like France, California and parts of Asia — places with fossil-free mandates, stable grids and commercial urgency. For Karin, impact only happens when technology is adopted.
– Technology without adoption is climate impact lost. We’re not building shiny pilots. We’re building systems that work.
On our radar 📡
Out and about in the hardtech community
- OpenAI is building a €1B AI hub in Norway. Hydro-powered, fjord-cooled, and built for sovereign compute. Norway’s making moves.
- 🇳🇴 Speaking of Norway: Over 100 Nordic climate and energy-tech startups will gather in Oslo for Startuplab Summit on Oct 8–9, alongside 250+ investors. A real chance to show hardtech where it matters.
- 🇸🇪 Stockholm hosts Industrial Future Summit on Sept 24–25. From automation to circular manufacturing and industrial AI, this one’s built for builders. Grab your pass.
- 🇸🇪 Södertälje Science Park is hiring an Industrial Innovation Lead. Help hardware startups and legacy firms turn ideas into impact. Apply by Sep 2.
- 🇩🇰 Danish founders working on physical tech can now apply for support from the Alexander Foss Foundation. Grants of 100k DKK for prototyping and early-stage hardware. Deadline: Sep 2. Apply here.
- 🇩🇰 Also, Danish Tech Challenge is open for applications. Get office space, top-tier mentoring and the chance to win 500,000 DKK. Run by DTU Science Park and backed by Jyske Bank. Apply here.
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