Scania's involvement in the study is as part of a consortium whose other members include Siemens Mobility, Costain, The Centre for Sustainable Road Freight (Cambridge University and Heriot-Watt University), ARUP, Milne Research, SPL Powerlines, CI Planning, BOX ENERGI and Possible.
The study is part of the £20m put aside for zero emission road freight trials under the recently-announced Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP). The Department for Transport has awarded funding to the consortium through Innovate UK.
The consortium has proposed an electric road system using the Siemens Mobility ‘eHighway’ technology, as the fastest, lowest carbon and most cost-effective route to decarbonising our road freight industry and delivering cleaner air. The nine-month study commences in July 2021 and is hoped to be the forerunner of a scheme that aims to see the UK’s major roads served by overhead lines by the 2030s.
These eHighways allow specially-adapted trucks to attach to the overhead wires and run using the electricity, similar to rail and trolley-bus systems. The trucks come equipped with a battery that charges while they are in motion so they can detach to both overtake vehicles and reach their final destination with zero emissions from start to finish.
James Armstrong, managing director of Scania (Great Britain) Limited said: "We have been working with our partners to develop and mature electric road technologies and have demonstrated that they are not only viable but attractive, cost-effective alternatives to fossil fuel-based vehicles for our customers. This partnership is dedicated to marrying technical excellence with visionary ambition, which is how we will achieve a practical and affordable electric roads system for the freight and logistics industry."