Swedish truck and bus maker Scania officially started testing its solar-powered hybrid truck that features 560 horsepower and 100 sqm of solar panel body cover on the country’s public roads.
Ernst Express, Scania’s customer and partner, is testing the innovative vehicle under actual operational settings.
According to the press release, the project is the outcome of a two-year research effort between the company and its industry and academic partners.
About the project
The semi-truck project is under Scania’s wider electrification strategy. Its 100 sqm solar panels connected to an onboard electrical system would yield its own propulsion.
Interestingly, the company installed the solar panels at the trailer’s sides, which a hybrid EV drives. The EV has a battery pack that supports a 200kWh energy storage capacity. It would serve as a power bank for the vehicle.
Remarkably, the battery is also connected to the trailer’s solar panel box to facilitate efficient and sustainable charging.
Scania’s Research and Innovation Tech Leader, Eric Falkgrim, currently leads the project development. Mr. Falkgrim shared how his team started the project along with their vision.
“It’s a bit like a start-up. We knew very early on what we wanted to do. The overall task seems simple – putting solar panels on a truck and plugging it in to the electrical system. But it’s a little bit of a wild and crazy idea because it comes with a lot of new hardware and software systemisation and development, to make it safe to handle the transfer of power, and to handle faults.”
Eric Falkgrim, Scania’s Research and Innovation Tech Leader
Benefits
Solar power adoption in the transportation sector will undoubtedly aid the world’s push for clean and sustainable energy.
It can significantly lessen the world’s reliance on polluting fossil fuels. In addition, it can also support the electrical grid in powering the growing number of electric vehicles on the roads.
Mr. Falkgrim and his team already have the relevant data proving the significance of solar power in the transportation industry, which accounts for the majority of CO2 emissions.
“This could have repercussions for the energy industry. If you scale up the solution you could have thousands of vehicles connected to the grid, so this could have implications for buying and selling electricity to and from the grid.
I think there’s a natural development in the industry where energy provision and the transport industry are growing together. There’s a real symbiosis with electrical vehicles. You can produce your own electricity and you can drive on your own electricity, which is a completely new situation.
The data we already have says that solar panels do contribute significantly to the energy you’re getting for the truck, and it’s one part of the overall puzzle when it comes to decarbonized transport. The first thing we need to find out is ‘does this make sense?’ And to answer that: yes, it’s good enough to work on the scale that we are doing now.”
Eric Falkgrim, Scania’s Research and Innovation Tech Leader
Challenges
The team noted that safety is among their most important priority. Mr. Falkgrim further admitted that solar cells’ constant movement across town through a vehicle is not ideal.
“They’re designed to sit stationary on top of a house for 20 or 30 years. We’ve had to address safety challenges in putting solar panels on a vehicle.
So it’s fairly involved from a technical point of view, but we don’t have that pressure of it being a full-scale project where we’re producing something that will be sold globally to hundreds and thousands of customers.”
Eric Falkgrim, Scania’s Research and Innovation Tech Leader
Mr. Falkgrim explained that the semi-truck is just a research project that aims to demonstrate if the solution is feasible.
“It’s a research project that’s about seeing if the solution makes sense, and so far we believe it does. We’re pleased to have the cooperation of Ernst Express, who partnered with us in the Swedish e-Highway project. They know that this is a trial with the possibility of technical snags that we’ll have to fix.”
Eric Falkgrim, Scania’s Research and Innovation Tech Leader
See Also:
- Crash tests of Sion from Sono Motors show, its solar panels are safe
- Solar panels launched into space may soon send power back to Earth
- Solar power to become the cheapest source of electricity, DNV forecasts
- AQUON One employs solar and seawater energy to generate unlimited range
- Solar installation growth is projected to hit 700 GW by 2025
Scania’s research effort in examining solar integration to power a large electric truck can significantly redefine the commercial trucking industry if it proves successful. Hopefully, the team can overcome the safety challenges they encounter to aid the transportation industry in advancing to a more sustainable and cleaner future.
You can watch Scania’s promotional video about the solar-powered truck project below:
