Scania in UK electrified truck study
A major UK study is now underway involving truck manufacturer Scania, into the use of long-haul electrified vehicles charged dynamically by overhead wires on electric roads. The feasibility study is being funded by part of the £20m made available for zero-emission road freight trials by the Department for Transport (DfT), as an element of its recently unveiled Transport Decarbonisation Plan.
Scania is participating as part of a consortium whose proposal utilises an electric road system using Siemens Mobility’s eHighway technology. The nine-month study began in the summer, and is hoped to precede a scheme that will aim to serve major UK roads with overhead power lines by the 2030s. eHighways allow trucks that have been specially adapted in a manner similar to rail and trolley-bus systems to attach to the overhead wires and run using the electricity. The trucks are equipped with a battery that charges while in motion, enabling them to detach to both overtake vehicles and reach their destination emissions-free.
Scania (Great Britain) Ltd managing director James Armstrong said the technologies were “not only viable but attractive, cost-effective alternatives to fossil fuel-based vehicles for our customers.”
Online retailer Ocado is to open a second CNG filling station to serve its heavy truck fleet.
The facility, at its Dordon customer fulfilment centre, will open in the second quarter of next year, and follows the opening of a self-funded gas filling station in Hatfield last January.
