Germany Opens First Electric Highway For Trucks

Germany has inaugurated a new electrified eHighway for trucks that have been developed by Siemens. The idea behind this initiative is to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Germany opened up a new stretch of the electrified autobahn on Tuesday for diesel-burning trucks to curb the greenhouse gas emissions.

The latest eHighway system has cables suspended over the existing highway that can power specially-equipped trucks’ electric motor. The process is quite similar to how electric trains operate. The electrification system has been created by the German industrial company, Siemens and has been installed on 6.2 miles of autobahn, thus enabling the trucks featuring the required equipment installed on their roof to make use of the electrified cables for travelling at speeds of around 90 kilometers per hour without requiring to burn any diesel fuel. The said trucks can switch to the internal combustion once they leave the electrified stretch.

According to Siemens, their system is perfectly suited for areas where railways are not a feasible idea, but road infrastructure exists that can be electrified by making use of their systems. The eHighway is part of an artery from the Frankfurt airport to an industrial park located nearby that has a lot of diesel-powered traffic. This means that even if the system doesn’t take off, it can prove useful by reducing the carbon emission on highways.

Siemens has further stated that truck operators will be able to save $22,370 over a stretch of 100,000 km in terms of fuel costs by making use of the eHighway. Thanks to the ever-growing global economy, trucking demand is rising and is thereby threatening the progress that has been made to cater to greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change. Siemens and the German government are hoping that eHighway will become a part of the steps that are being taken to curb climate change.