As part of the implementation of the eHighway system, which is going to the highway in Germany, that is, it installs the electric power supply line at a suitable height and supplies electricity to the electric truck, it is running the test run in some sections of the autobahn.
Until now, test driving has been done only at a late night or at an unused military airfield, but this is the first time to do it on a regular highway. e The electric truck can be supplied with electric power through the power line at the top of the electric truck for the highway, and it is driven by the electric motor and the diesel engine hybrid type. Thanks to this structure, it can be run on public roads without a line.
On public roads, the power stored in the built-in battery travels without emissions and switches to a diesel engine when the battery is disconnected. e Highway system development was undertaken by Siemens of Germany.
The test runs at a distance of 5km from Frankfurt to Darmstadt. The Hessen Traffic Authority, which is in charge of the operation, plans to continue testing in both directions until 2022. It does not only supply electricity to trucks, but it can also feed back surplus power when braking, and can operate without waste of power even when roads are congested or stagnant.
During the test period, five trucks will drive on the overturned autobahn every day. It has an average of 135,000 vehicles a day, 10% of which are heavy trucks. The German Ministry of Environment is paying close attention to the test as it costs 15 million euros.
According to the German Ministry of Environment, there is a possibility that the cable will be installed in 1,000 km of the autobahn over 13,000 km in Germany according to the test result. It may be necessary for the government to bear the initial investment to promote electric cars and hybrid vehicles, which are more dependent on road infrastructure than ordinary cars using fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel. For more information, please click here .