Siemens To Expand eHighway Electric Truck Trial To Germany

Last year Siemens and Scania came together to create the first ever eHighway installation, adding overhead power delivery and pantograph equipped trucks to a 2km stretch of the E16 highway in Sweden. With the Swedish government looking for fossil fuel independence by 2030, this was an important trial for all concerned.

Also a successful one, given news that the trial is to be extended to Germany, with a 10km stretch of the A5 autobahn to receive the overhead power delivery infrastructure.

Siemens claims that the hybrid trucks are twice as efficient as diesel trucks, although results of the Swedish trial have yet to be published. It's hard to see how a short 2km stretch of eHighway can support such claims, however the science seems good.

After all, for any EV a large part of the problem is carrying sufficient energy to complete a journey in as carefree a manner as a combustion engine vehicle. Remove the need for extensive power storage and that equation changes significantly.

Overhead power delivery has been successfully used in the rail industry for decadesand there's no question the concept would work. However the infrastructure costs required to electrify a national road network, even at a primary route only level, would be monstrous. Not to mention the incredible levels of disruption.

Starting that process now, especially in countries with a high proportion of electricity generated from renewables, would be an eminently good idea. This is the sort of project whose cost rises exponentially the more it is delayed.

For road haulage operators the projected savings - €20,000 per annum - would be a definite driver towards adoption.

Making the solution financially viable for governments could prove to be a much trickier problem.