FRANKFURT, GERMANY — Siemens has announced its plan to build an eHighway on a public highway in Germany in an effort to electrify road freight traffic.
According to a press release, the eHighway will be installed on a 10-km stretch of A5 highway from Zeppelinheim/Cargo City Süd interchange at the Frankfurt Airport and the Darmstadt/Weiterstadt interchange near Frankfurt airport.
Siemens first revealed this concept in 2012. The installation aims to supply electricity to hybrid freight trucks. A pantograph needs to be raised from the truck to connect with overhead power lines in order to receive electricity.
The connection allows the trucks to trade energy with the power system. The energy would be fed back into the system when the truck brakes and released to the vehicles when they accelerate.
The eHighway is said to be twice as efficient compared to internal combustion engines, and can also significantly reduce local air pollution.
The installation in Frankfurt is expected to be completed by the end of next year. The project was previously tested on a 2km stretch of public roads near Stockholm, Sweden last year.
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