http://www.overdriveonline.com/eletric-cable-powered-trucks-to-be-tested-in-california-next-year/ Electric cable-powered trucks to be tested in California next year by Jill Dunn | August 13, 2014
[image http://blogsdir.cms.rrcdn.com/8/files/2014/03/Siemens-electric-truck-2.jpg Intelligenter Stromabnehmer ermöglicht volle Flexibilität des Lkw / Intelligent pantograph enables full vehicle flexibilityA two-mile demonstration project using overhead cables to power electric trucks is slated to begin in California in July 2015. ] The South Coast Air Quality Management District has selected Siemens to install its eHighway system in Carson for the year-long project. The company is developing a demonstration vehicle with Volvo Group and Mack, as well as California truck integrators, whose vehicles will be included in the demonstration. The system will electrify selected traffic lanes in two directions through an overhead cable system, similar to how modern streetcars are powered on city streets. During the demonstration phase, up to four eHighway trucks will travel the route daily, equipped with a hybrid drive system and intelligent current collectors. On roads without overhead cables, the vehicles use a hybrid drive system which can be powered by diesel, compressed natural gas, an on-board battery or with other energy sources. The current collector enables the vehicles to overtake and automatically connect and disconnect at speeds of more than 55 mph. The catenary infrastructure will be installed on the North and South-bound sections of Alameda Street where it intersects with Sepulveda Boulevard. Up to four trucks will run in the demonstration, making multiple drives per day. [© overdriveonline.com] [dated] http://www.overdriveonline.com/grid-power-how-electric-lane-technology-from-europe-could-transform-u-s-trucking/?utm_medium=overdrive&utm_campaign=site_click&utm_source=in_story_related Grid power: How electric lane technology from Europe could transform U.S. trucking by Jack Roberts | March 20, 2014 [image http://www.overdriveonline.com/files/2014/03/Siemens-electric-truck-3.jpg If a driver needs to pass a slower truck in the eHighway lane, the system automatically disconnects from the power grid, and the prong-shaped pantograph wand lowers. The system automatically re-engages the power grid when the driver returns to the eHighway lane. ] Intelligenter Stromabnehmer ermöglicht volle Flexibilität des Lkw / Intelligent pantograph enables full vehicle flexibility The prong-shaped pantograph wand relay system makes contact with the power lines and acts as a conduit for the electrical power flowing from the lines and directly to the vehicle’s electric motor ... What’s also showing some promise, though in limited applications, is the all-electric truck. FedEx and UPS are experimenting with all-electric vans in urban applications. These vans already are used in Europe. The main concern in the United States is the relatively short range of the vehicles. On the other hand, the vans consume no fossil fuels and produce no emissions – particularly attractive benefits in smog-plagued cities such as Los Angeles or Houston. Now experiments in Germany and California with another type of electric truck could lead to a radically new way for trucks as heavy as Class 8 to move freight in the United States. The Siemens company, a longtime leader in railroad technology, is rethinking many of its proven rail concepts with an eye toward a highly efficient low-emissions commercial vehicle. Siemens, based in Munich, Germany, feels its sophisticated eHighway Project has the potential to succeed in what would be dedicated eHighway corridors in the United States. At the heart of the concept is a diesel-electric hybrid truck. Unlike existing hybrid trucks in the states, this vehicle uses a constant-state diesel engine to drive a high torque-output electric motor – the same principle used to drive diesel-electric locomotives around the world. In this mode, the Siemens hybrid drive system allows the truck to behave much like a conventional diesel truck: The driver can maneuver on freeways and in urban surroundings as he would in any truck. The benefit comes when the vehicle pulls into a dedicated “eHighway” lane that features overhead electrical lines powered by substations. The technology is common on trains in some European and Asian cities. Once the truck is in an eHighway lane, a monitoring sensor in the truck’s nose detects the overhead power lines and automatically deploys a prong-shaped wand, called a pantograph. This acts as a conduit for the electrical power to flow to the electric motor. Holger Sommer, eHighway project manager for Siemens, says the company decided from the outset that its concept would have to share eHighway lanes with conventional truck traffic. That’s partly because building exclusive electric truck lanes would be too expensive. The pantograph not only moves up and down to make connection with the power lines, it also can move side-to-side to maintain contact and counteract normal steering input from the driver. Most importantly, the system is highly flexible: Trucks are not stuck in position as if they were on a slot car track. The driver also retains full control of all braking functions. Any kinetic energy generated by a truck connected to the wires is put back into the grid automatically, where it can be used by other trucks. If the sensor in the truck’s nose is not functioning, the driver can disengage the system manually with the push of a button. Since the vehicle essentially is an electric truck with a constant-rate diesel engine, it can produce immediate high torque outputs without fuel consumption spikes. Lower-displacement diesel engines power the trucks and run continuously in their most efficient modes, drastically reducing fuel costs and dramatically cutting vehicle emissions, Sommer says. Siemens has been testing the system extensively in Europe with modified Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks. Preliminary work has begun on building lanes in California to test the system for use in the United States. The plan is to develop a one-mile stretch near the Port of Long Beach. The cost is $14 million, for which the California Air Resources Board is seeking funding. In addition to validating the eHighway concept in real-world conditions, the tests also will seek to determine vehicle and infrastructure costs. Siemens stresses that the overall infrastructure impact in terms of investment and construction is relatively minimal, and that the system can be installed easily on existing roads. However, the Los Angeles Times estimated it would cost $5 million to $7 million a mile to convert roads to eHighway use. [© overdriveonline.com] http://fleetowner.com/blog/rolling-down-electric-highway Rolling down that electric highway Aug 13, 2014 by Sean Kilcarr [images http://fleetowner.com/site-files/fleetowner.com/files/uploads/2014/08/Trolley6.jpg http://fleetowner.com/site-files/fleetowner.com/files/uploads/2014/08/Trolley1.jpg video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qChp3r6gb8 Siemens tests electric-powered system for heavy good vehicles Siemens Jun 4, 2012 In order to achieve the CO2 reduction targets in the transportation sector the freight traffic can do its part as well. The aim of the ENUBA project ("Electromobility in heavy commercial vehicles to reduce the environmental impact on densely populated areas") has been to study how HGV traffic can become more energy-efficient and environmentally cleaner. In the context of this project Siemens produced an holistic concept for the electrification of HGV traffic by means catenaries and to test the technical feasibility of the system on a specially built test track. ] So last week you may have perused this photo gallery highlighting a new project being launched by industrial giant Siemens in partnership with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in southern California and Mack Trucks concerning the development of an electric highway or “eHighway” system near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. This project would “electrify” select highway lanes via what’s called a “catenary system” to supply freight-hauling trucks with electricity in a fashion similar to how modern day trolleys or streetcars are powered. The interesting twist, though, is that trucks can attach and detach themselves from this “catenary” system at will, switching back to all-diesel power as they continue their cargo-carrying trip beyond the port’s borders. I talked to Matthias Schlelein, head of Siemens’ mobility & logistics division, about this project by email and the benefits this two-way, one-mile mile “catenary” system is supposed to deliver. “Four years ago, we began to ask this question: how can we electrify trucks in a safe, reliable, cost efficient and maintenance friendly way that will ultimately reduce the CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions of truck traffic in traffic crowded areas? That is where this project really began,” he told me. “After evaluating the options we concluded that the overhead catenary line systems would ideally fulfill these requirements,” Schlelein said. “The ports are an ideal location since this is an area where many trucks travel a concentrated and relatively short distance. Highly traveled corridors such as this are a perfect location as they aren’t necessarily long enough for rail travel, but ideal for an ‘eHighway’ concept.” This is something Siemens has been working on for nearly two years now in Europe (go here for more information) and one of the key aspects of such technology is that it allows trucks to connect and disconnect from the catenary system at any speed while also allowing them to retain the “flexibility” of full diesel power when no electricity is available. “We don’t yet have exact calculations on reduced fuel consumption, but electric trucks are 50% more energy efficient than a traditional diesel truck,” Sclelein told me, adding that the “economic logic” of the eHighway system is very compelling for cities like Los Angeeles, where many trucks travel a concentrated and relatively short distance. “Highly traveled corridors such as this [the area surrounding the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach] are where we will initially see ‘eHighway’ being applied,” he said. “These intricate logistical hubs need to meet increasing local and global demand for goods and by improving the transportation systems in and around the ports, we hope to help them meet this demand through the use of sophisticated and innovative electrification technology while at the same time improving the local environmental conditions like air quality.” Siemens noted that the Mack-branded trucks being deployed for this “eHighway” test project in southern California will be equipped with an electric drive system that can be powered either by diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), batteries or other on-board energy source when driving outside of the catenary lines. The trucks can then both connect and disconnect from the catenary system at any speed at will, with the cab-mounted “collector” supplying electric power directly to the vehicle’s electric engine as well as to recharge batteries, Siemens added. It’s worthy to note that we’ll need to wait a year to see if this “eHighway” project works as promised, as it’s not slated to start until July 2015. So next summer we’ll check back in to see how it is going. 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