Vehicles to test electric road network from Volkswagen Group Research and Siemens
Scania is providing vehicles for the ‘Trucks for German eHighways’ program, set to test and develop electric road technology for train-like eHighway systems.
Scania will supply the hybrid trucks for the electric road network, which will be developed by Volkswagen Group Research and Siemens.
Three different test areas on public German roads will trial the overhead power lines once the research pre-phase of the project has been completed.
The project’s primary aim is to reduce carbon emissions from long-haul heavy vehicles, and testing is set to run during 2019 and 2020.
The German government has co-financed the initiative through BMUB, the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
“For long-haulage transport, Scania sees electric roads as one promising technology for a sustainable transport future,” Scania executive vice president of research and development Claes Erixon says.
“Vehicle electrification is developing quickly and with its environmental, social and cost benefits, it will play an important role in the shift to a fossil-free transport system.”
The overall research project is being managed by Volkswagen Group Research, while Scania will supply two electric hybrid prototype trucks.
Scania says the unique powertrains will include a single battery option with a 15 kWh capacity and a separate design hosting several batteries to increase output capacity.
Much like the trucks used in electric road trials in Sweden, these ones will be equipped with a pantograph power collector developed by Siemens and mounted on the frame behind the cab.
“Scania will enter this new project with all our experience from the Swedish project,” Scania project manager for electric road technology Christer Thorén says.
“In the German project, the most important research areas will be to analyse and optimise the powertrain concept, energy management, the hybrid transmission, battery ageing and the next generation cooling system.”