Germany has introduced its first-ever section of “eHighway,” which allows cargo trucks to charge their batteries while they are on the go.
Now this technology introduced only on a 6-mile-long stretch of Autobahn near the city of Frankfurt. It uses 670-volt direct-current overhead cables that let electric trucks draw power and recharge their batteries on the go.
The process is quite similar to electric trains system. The electrification system has been created by the electronics giant Siemens company. The trucks which have conductor rods called pantographs installed on the top of their cabin, the truck must be going less than 56 mph to successfully make a connection. [When it is connected, it run on electricity. When it rejoin the normal highway, it switch back to their hybrid engines.
According Siemens company the technology would save a 40-ton truck $22,000 in fuel costs over 62,100 miles.
The 6.2-mile long stretch of the A5 Autobahn will be tested until 2022, after which a decision will be made on whether or not to expand the project.
They spent $77 million to make a special hybrid truck with Scania and Volkswagen for this track.
Germany said it wanted to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 40% by 2020, by 55% by 2030 & up to 95% by 2050, compared with 1990 levels.