Sweden’s Scania unveils the world’s first truck covered in solar panels
The Swedish company has unveiled the world’s first hybrid truck covered in solar panels. By generating its own energy, this unique prototype has the potential to reduce operating costs and CO2 emissions in heavy transport.
The hybrid-powered truck has a trailer covered with 100 m2 of solar panels, which are connected to an electrical system located on board. It is being deployed as part of a research project to see how much solar energy such a configuration can produce and how much CO2 emissions can be reduced by using the connected photovoltaic panels.
The plug-in hybrid truck has all the “normal systems” – including a 100 kWh energy storage tank. The trailer has an additional 200 kWh energy storage tank that acts as a “power bank” charged by the solar panels. However, fitting a truck to a PV system presents a number of specific technical challenges.
We have to remember that solar cells are not designed to move around town in a vehicle. They are designed to stand on the roof of a house for 20 or 30 years. There are still many problems associated with putting solar panels on a vehicle.
But we believe it won’t be long before we see solar trucks on the roads 🙂
