Solar-powered truck project

author: FutureCar Staff    

Scania, a Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer, is working on a solar-powered truck as part of its efforts to electrify transport solutions. The project's manager, Eric Falkgrim, acknowledges that the need for new hardware and software makes it a "wild and crazy idea." The solar-powered 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.

Falkgrim, who leads a small team in Scania's Research and Innovation department, aims to create solutions that build on Scania's modular system and develop necessary new technologies. A prototype of the solar-powered truck has already been handed over to long-term Scania haulage customer Ernst Express, who will test it in actual operational conditions on Swedish roads.

Although commercial application of the project is still years away, Falkgrim and his team have seen promising data regarding the role of solar in the transport sector. The data suggests that solar panels significantly contribute to the truck's energy and play a part in decarbonized transport. Falkgrim believes that the technology makes sense and is good enough to work on the scale they are currently pursuing.

The idea for the solar-powered truck originated more than three years ago when Scania began working with lithium-ion batteries used in battery-electric trucks. As the batteries became lighter, cheaper, and more energy-dense, Falkgrim and his team wondered if solar cells could show a similar trend. They wanted to explore if the efficiency and cost of solar cells could reach a breakeven point that would make developing this technology sensible.

The project started in late 2019 with a six-month pre-study, and in January 2021, Scania received funding from the Swedish state innovation agency Vinnova to develop a full-scale project. Uppsala University also provided support in solar cell development. The team deliberately tested the solar-powered truck in Sweden's less sunny and darker conditions to confirm its widespread validity.

Falkgrim's team consists of software developers, hardware developers, and project management professionals, totaling no more than a dozen people over the 19-month development process. The project involves new hardware and software systemization and development to ensure the safe transfer of power and fault handling. The plug-in hybrid truck/tractor is connected to the trailer with additional batteries that act as a power bank and are charged by the solar panel box.

Safety considerations were crucial before the prototype was tested. Solar cells are not designed to be in a moving vehicle, so the team had to address safety challenges. Falkgrim emphasizes that the project is technically involved but does not face the pressure of mass production for global customers.

Falkgrim believes that solar-powered trucks could have significant implications for the energy industry. Scaling up the solution could lead to thousands of vehicles connected to the grid, potentially affecting the buying and selling of electricity. He sees a symbiotic relationship between energy provision and the transport industry, where electrical vehicles can produce and drive on their own electricity, creating a completely new situation.

FutureCar Staff