At the end of last week, the Swedish company Scania presented the world’s first hybrid semi-trailer truck equipped with solar panels. Due to its self-produced energy, the unique prototype has the potential to reduce both operating costs and CO2 emissions2 Emissions from heavy transport.
The hybrid truck’s trailer is covered with 100 square meters of solar panels connected to an onboard electrical system. It A research project is to investigate how much solar energy such a configuration can generate and how much CO can be saved2 Emissions through the use of the connected photovoltaic modules.
As it roars silently down the Scandinavian country lanes, it feels like a transplant from the not-too-distant future. But solar powered trucks and… Sweden?
“If you can make it work here with solar power in Sweden, you can make it work anywhere.” said Eric Falkgrim, project manager for the company’s development of solar-powered trucks – a fact that anyone who has ever experienced November in Sweden can attest to. Falkgrim added that if the technology were viable in the Nordic countries, that would confirm the project’s far-reaching validity.
Cooperation between science and industry
A few years ago, inspired by advances in lithium-ion battery technology, the company’s research and innovation department wondered if solar panel technology could also become more efficient and reduce costs enough to make a self-contained photovoltaic truck worthwhile .
After a preliminary feasibility study completed in 2019, Scania received funding from the Swedish state innovation agency Vinnova. In January 2021, the company then started a comprehensive project using the efficient and lightweight solar cells developed by Uppsala University.
“This is an exciting project where science and industry are working together to try to reduce the climate impact of truck transport. “The results of this unique truck will be very interesting.” said Erik Johansson, project manager and professor of physical chemistry.
Solar technology on the rise
The plug-in hybrid truck/tractor has all the “normal systems” – including 100 kWh energy storage. The trailer now has an additional energy storage capacity of 200 kWh and acts as a “power bank” that is charged via the solar panels. But of course, equipping a trailer with photovoltaics entails a whole range of specific technical challenges.
“You have to remember that solar cells are not made for driving around town in a vehicle. They are designed to be stationary on a house roof for 20 or 30 years. “We had to overcome safety challenges when installing solar panels in a vehicle,” added Falkgrim.
However, he also pointed out that this is still a research project and there is a possibility that technical issues will need to be fixed along the way.
“It’s quite involved from a technical point of view, but we’re not under the pressure that it’s a large-scale project where we’re producing something that will be sold to hundreds and thousands of customers worldwide. It’s a research project to see if the solution makes sense, and so far we think it does.”
To learn more about the experience of the Scania engineers working on the project and to see more images of the truck rolling past red small houses and fields, you can watch the video below: