An upcoming study into the operation of long-haul electrified trucks will be the first of its kind in the UK and will test out an electric road system featuring electric power provided by overhead wires, similar to existing rail and trolley systems. Scania is participating in the study and part of a consortium that identified the electric road system as one of the most cost-effective methods of decarbonising the road freight industry.
“Electrifying road freight is key in the UK’s journey to zero net emissions,” Scania (Great Britain) Limited Managing Director James Armstrong. “We have been working with our partners to develop and mature electric road technologies and have demonstrated that they are not only viable but attractive, cost-effective alternatives to fossil fuel-based vehicles for our customers.”
The eHighway
The nine-month study, based on Siemens Mobility eHighway technology, is set to begin this month and is funded from a portion of the £20m set aside in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP). The trials feature trucks equipped with a battery that charges while they are in motion, opening up the possibility to detach from the overhead lines and overtake vehicles, while still reaching the destination with zero emissions from start to finish.
Everything Old Is New Again
The electric road system is seen as one of the most technically viable and economically attractive options for the electrification of heavy-duty trucks because it uses known and available technologies in new ways. “This partnership is dedicated to marrying technical excellence with visionary ambition, which is how we will achieve a practical and affordable electric roads system for the freight and logistics industry,” Armstrong says.
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Source: Scania