Owner-operators and freight carriers face an uncertain future in meeting heightened emissions regulations. In California, even organizations based in other states are getting whacked with fines for not complying with what are considered the most stringent mandates in the country.
For many owner-operators and truck transportation outfits, the cost of so-called zero-emission vehicles and the inability to cost-effectively charge batteries has been something of a non-starter. But with government incentives helping to lower the price of a shiny new electric or hybrid semi-truck, the largest hurdle involves being able to charge the battery without losing significant hours of service time. One Swedish company is currently working on covering entire trailers with commercial-grade solar panels to hopefully reduce and eliminate downtime.
“We’re exploring all sorts of options and looking at solar-powered trucks was one of those options. And for me, personally, it was more thinking about the battery electric trucks that we have right now. Ten to 15 years ago they were too expensive, but with increased energy density and lower costs, all of a sudden it became interesting,” Eric Falkgrim, technology leader for vehicle design at Scania, reportedly said. And so, the thought was similar with solar power – that if the efficiency increases and the costs keep decreasing, at some point it’ll be worth it. And that’s what we’re trying to explore.”
Headquartered in Södertälje, Sweden, Scania reportedly ranks among the most prominent commercial motor vehicle manufacturers and solutions corporations. The engineers and designers are currently working on a trailer that would be plastered in solar panels on the roof and both sides. Perhaps following the thinking of Elon Musk and his solar-roofed Tesla, Scania may be able to resolve the semi-truck recharging problem.
The battery-electric semis on U.S. roads tallied less than 2 percent of the big rigs in 2022. Manufacturers have claimed these non-diesel trucks can travel upwards of 500 miles without needing to recharge. Even if that metric was not under scrutiny, a diesel rig with one tank could typically haul cargo twice that distance, if not more. Fueling up with diesel takes little time, while battery-powered commercial vehicles can take hours.
While Falkgrim expressed excitement that solar trailers could help reduce hybrid semi-truck emissions by upwards of 40 percent, minimizing recharging stops and hours of service losses remains a priority for CDL holders and freight operations. Solar trailers connected with hybrid and straightforward semis are already being tested in Sweden. The Scania official noted that if it can work in oft-cloudy Sweden, solar-paneled trailers would be effective in mostly sunny U.S. states.
Source:
https://cleantechnica.com/2023/12/19/solar-powered-semi-trucks-the-future-of-trucking/
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