Solar-powered truck project

author: FutureCar Staff    

Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania is working on a solar-powered truck as part of its efforts to electrify transport solutions. The truck would generate its own electrical propulsion using solar panels installed along the sides of the trailer, which is pulled by a hybrid-electric vehicle. Eric Falkgrim, a technology leader at Scania's Research and Innovation department, is leading the development of the solar-powered truck. Falkgrim and his team aim to create solutions that build on Scania's modular system and develop the necessary new technologies.

A prototype of the solar-powered truck has been handed over to long-term Scania haulage customer and partner Ernst Express for testing on Swedish roads. Falkgrim and his team have already seen promising data regarding the role of solar energy in the transport sector. The data suggests that solar panels significantly contribute to the energy obtained by the truck. Falkgrim believes that solar energy is one part of the overall puzzle for decarbonized transport.

Scania began exploring the idea of solar-powered trucks over three years ago, starting with the observation of advancements in lithium-ion batteries used in battery-electric trucks. The team questioned whether solar cells could undergo a similar trend of increasing efficiency and decreasing costs. They wanted to determine if it made sense to develop this technology. Development of the project began in late 2019 with a pre-study, followed by funding from the Swedish state innovation agency Vinnova in January 2021.

The team at Scania also took advantage of Sweden's less sunny and somewhat darker conditions to test the viability of solar-powered trucks. They wanted to confirm that the technology could work in less favorable weather conditions, thereby demonstrating its widespread validity. Falkgrim's team, consisting of software developers, hardware developers, and project management, has been working on the project for 19 months.

Implementing solar panels on a moving vehicle presented safety challenges that needed to be addressed. Solar cells are typically designed for stationary use on buildings, not for vehicles. However, the team at Scania worked through these safety considerations before testing the prototype. Falkgrim describes the project as a bit wild and crazy due to the new hardware and software systemization and development required for safe power transfer and fault handling.

The solar-powered truck is designed as a plug-in hybrid, with the trailer connected to additional batteries acting as a power bank. The solar panels charge the power bank, providing energy to the truck. Falkgrim believes that solar-powered trucks could have significant implications for the energy industry. Scaling up the solution could result in thousands of vehicles connected to the grid, potentially impacting the buying and selling of electricity. Falkgrim sees a symbiotic relationship between energy provision and the transport industry, with the ability to produce and drive on self-generated electricity being a completely new situation.

FutureCar Staff