Germany puts trucks to test on ‘eHighway’

Germany has launched its first test route for overhead line hybrid trucks on the A5 autobahn between Frankfurt and Darmstadt.

The trucks are equipped with an electric motor, a diesel engine and batteries that can be quickly charged from the overhead power lines.

Five of the trucks will be in operation by mid-2020, traveling several times a day on the 5km track.

The Federal Ministry for the Environment has spent 14.6 million euros (US$16.3m) on construction of the pilot project. A further 15.3 million euros (US$17.1m) is available for conducting the field trials that will run until the end of 2022.

Road authority Hessen Mobil is coordinating the eHighway project with support from the Technical University Darmstadt, Siemens and Entega AG.

Environment ministry state secretary Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter says the overhead line trucks are an “efficient solution on the way to climate-neutral freight transport”.

“The technology is particularly interesting for truck transports that can’t be shifted to rail in the medium to long term,” she says.

The truck’s electric drive is powered from the overhead line but can continue its journey using diesel engine if the battery is depleted.