Europe continues to pursue green-energy initiatives in its effort to reduce emission. EV sales are continuing to thrive. Cities like Oslo and Paris are taking small steps toward cleaner city centers.
It turns out that Germany is unrolling its own eco-friendly objectives. Per Clean Technica, it is currently testing the country’s first eHighway on a stretch of the A5 highway between Langen and Weiterstadt. It’s near the Frankfurt Airport and the Frankfurter Kreuz intersection. The project, dubbed Elisa, will test overhead line hybrid trucks in real-time traffic situations.
Backing for the project
The Federal Ministry for the Environment is one of the main sponsors of the project. It’s spent 14.6 million euros on the pilot project and plans to spend another 15.3 million euros on testing over the next few years. Siemens Mobility GmbH, ENTEGA AG, and the Technical University of Darmstadt are also collaborating on Elisa.
Germany’s Elisa project isn’t the first one of its kind, however. It takes its cue from international e-highway projects such as the one in Sweden, as well as the one that California tested a couple of years ago.
How the eHighway works
The eHighway system, developed by Siemens, involves specially-designed trucks that rely on hybrid electric vehicle technology rather than combustion engines. The trucks charge as they drive beneath the wires overhead. Once recharged, the trucks can continue to run on battery. Though, because they rely on HEV technology, they can also switch to diesel fuel if the battery becomes totally depleted.
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How the eHighway works
The eHighway system, developed by Siemens, involves specially-designed trucks that rely on hybrid electric vehicle technology rather than combustion engines. The trucks charge as they drive beneath the wires overhead. Once recharged, the trucks can continue to run on battery. Though, because they rely on HEV technology, they can also switch to diesel fuel if the battery becomes totally depleted.
A more eco-friendly future
Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), views the project as a bridge that will help the country’s freight industry smoothly transition from fossil fuel to HEV systems. “Electrified overhead line trucks are a particularly efficient solution on the way to climate-neutral freight transport.”
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News Sources: Clean Technica, electrive.com
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