Scania tests truck trailer with solar panels | Automotive Industry News

Electrical power cost savings could be approaching 20{ed0b873b90f1b87a4f3b347f1646a477c6eee9bccb9dcbe5ac9cb67a3d16495a} in sunny climates

In a investigation partnership, Scania claims it will build a photo voltaic cell clad trailer to power a plug-in hybrid truck. Original exams point out attainable gas cost savings of 5–10 percent in Sweden and 2 times that quantity in sunnier southern Spain.

“Solar cells have previously been employed on boats and caravans but then only to power auxiliaries these as fridges and cookers and not the precise powertrain,” claims Eric Falkgrim, Technological know-how Chief in Auto Style at Scania R&D.

The truck will be operated in daily transport assignments by the Swedish haulier Ernst Specific, which also collaborated with Scania in trials of the world’s to start with electric street with overhead catenary strains. Ernst Specific will run an eighteen-metre very long photo voltaic cell clad trailer with a complete location alongside the sides and roof of one hundred forty sq. metres. In complete, the photo voltaic panels are anticipated in Sweden to per year generate 14,000 kWh.

The investigation task will also examine irrespective of whether the trailer can feed electricity into the grid when the batteries are entirely billed and the truck is parked, for case in point, above weekends.

Fuel cost savings up to 10 percent in Sweden

In a pre-research, operations in mid-Sweden were simulated achieving a possible gas preserving of 5–10 percent. In Sweden, there is enough daylight from spring to autumn to generate electricity and though the sunshine is weak besides for the duration of summer months, there are far more several hours of daylight. All through the relaxation of the calendar year , there is inadequate sunshine in Sweden. By distinction, southern Spain has eighty percent far more several hours of daylight, Scania reported.

The task is publicly funded the Swedish government’s innovation company Vinnova and aside from Scania and Ernst Specific also engages Midsummer that manufactures the photo voltaic panels, Uppsala University, which conducts advanced investigation on far more productive photo voltaic cells, and the Dalakraft electricity corporation.