Are these self-charging e-highways the future of transportation?

Guy Henderson is in Germany where tech giant Siemens is trialling an eHighway that can power and charge electric-hybrid trucks as they move.
#RAZOR
@Razor
#CGTNEUROPE
@cgtneurope
Check out the full episode on our website: newseu.cgtn.co...
For more info: www.mobility.s...
You can also find Razor on:
Website: www.cgtn.com/e...
Instagram: / cgtneurope
Facebook: / cgtneuropeofficial
Twitter: / cgtneurope

[@felixbertoni]

I'm both excited and skeptical about these... On one hand, for long-distance transportation, we already have a technology that is more efficient and well tested (aka trains)... On the other hand, this is still a big improvement regarding environmental impact of transportation So I hope that in the future, this will not become some hype-driven solution taking too much space and preventing other, better solutions (as trains) to be used where needed, with an company-oriented policy of not investing anything and going into the most economic solution instead of the most clever one. I also hope it will not create some cobra effect, inducing an increase of use in infrastructure negating benefits. One thing I would know for sure, is how this compares to trains for delivery (including of course the cost of rail-road transfer platforms required by train delivery in most cases) at various ranges in term of energy and overall environmental efficiency.

[@incoocat150]

From my understanding, this technology is aimed at first/last mile journeys, as mentioned in another video. If it gains momentum, its infrastructure will be built close to cities only, where most logistics centres are located anyway. Trucks arriving at said centres can recharge on the final leg of their journey and when they leave the centre. The question is, how long the electrified section needs to be in order to charge the batteries sufficiently.

[@Anton_Noname]

@@incoocat150 If an electric truck has a sufficient range from batteries alone, then you can charge and recharge on the go, on long routes. This solves the problem of all-electric trucks in the form of significant charging times and short driving ranges. And they are becoming more popular and universal. If this is combined with automatic lane keeping and space control (autopilot for highways), then the need for carrier drivers decreases. And with it, the cost of transportation and the human factor fall.

[@gerald6919]

US needs these e highways to cut diesel emissions in half. Just engine having these e highways on 95 high way and savings of millions of gallons of fuels per day.

[@ArtStoneUS]

The United States interstate highway system has 46, 000 miles of roads, most of it in rural areas far away from power generation sites. United States is not Europe.

[@petervonhunerbein68]

and where do you get uninterrupted excess electricity from on a rather large scale ??

[@oneviwatara9384]

@@ArtStoneUS US highway are build next to cities which means there are overhead power lines throughout US highway.

[@ArtStoneUS]

@@oneviwatara9384 but where is the power generated?

[@dustojnikhummer]

​@@ArtStoneUS In... Coal power plants. The people who push for getting rid of ICE cars and trucks are also the same group that is against nuclear power.

[@TheAmericanDreamChaser]

I really love this idea. I see this having the potential fix a lot of problems in the US. Think about it both Technologies batteries and the electrical connection device that's usually on top of trains are well-developed which means parts, manufacturing, mechanics, it already has the whole ecosystem. Same with batteries. Instead of building a bunch of charging stations you could just every 100 miles or so put in like 1 mile of this track in the far right lane of the highways. It would also help with traffic congestion by keeping the trucks from weaving between all the lanes. All the trucks can be driving in the right lane waiting to top off their batteries...

[@billtuckwell1399]

Yes. They should never have got rid of Trolleybuses. The first and best form of heavy vehicle traction. Still used in other countries with great success.

[@ronnietjikoeri9965]

Very true

[@blendpinexus1416]

i want this here in the usa, it's absolutely perfect for the rather large distances we have here.

[@themanformerlyknownascomme777]

tell me you know nothing about electrification logistics without telling me you know nothing about electrification logistics. long range electrification is BEYOND LUDICROUSLY EXPENSIVE! there is a reason why NONE of the major long distance railroad routes save for the Acela (which is Amtrak AKA Goverment money), have it.

[@blendpinexus1416]

@@themanformerlyknownascomme777 got any better ideas that don't involve making a quarter of the cargo capacity turn into batteries yet still making a purely electric truck?

[@themanformerlyknownascomme777]

@@blendpinexus1416 actually yes: "Rolling Highways". it's something so far you only see in Europe, but it's a special version of the Piggyback trains, instead of just taking the trailer, it takes the whole truck and crew (who get to go into a passenger car, or a sleeper car if the journey is long enough), take the rails as close to your destination as possible, then drive the rest of the way.

[@blendpinexus1416]

@@themanformerlyknownascomme777 then how do you long distance electrically power the train? batteries can't practically make that distance.

[@themanformerlyknownascomme777]

@@blendpinexus1416 thank you for admiting to the limitations of batteries. I will say a couple things: 1. this obsession with making it absolutely 100% diesel free is honestly quite silly (certainly as far as a first step goes, we can afford a little diesel now and work on zero diesel later down the line, this project itself admits that diesel usage at least in the early stages is inevitable). when you haul as much as a train can, you can afford to burn a little fuel and still end up with less polution then when compared to a fleet of highway trucks, hell, you could even be burning coal and still polute less then if your cargo was carried by trucks! 2. on that note: with a secondary engine for lows speeds, you can actually take full advantage of turbine efficany at high speeds, though given your obsession with your precious zero emissions needs that may not be what your looking for. 3. rail paragraphs, while expensive, are less expensive then doing the same on roads, not just in terms of complexity but simple maintenance costs as well. 4. your really sleeping on Hydrogen, yes it's a little difficult to adopt new fuel, but putting hydrogen on the railway is a hell of alot easier then doing it on the roads so it isn't an incermountable obstacle.

[@DforDenmark]

can't wait for us to be able to use this for ships as well

[@ramblingrob4693]

Lol

[@LeonidJP92]

I think it'd be highly developed railway network, runs by thousands of companies across the country

[@solapowsj25]

One step after another, always progressing forward.

[@MoskriFank]

When I see things like this , it just makes me happy. Keep doing the great job @Siemens

[@wayneyd2]

The biggest advantage in this. It will keep all big trucks in a single lane and out of the way of the higher speed traffics.

[@superman28607]

I would say yes. Rather than relying on charging like idiot musk wants, this overhead wires are better. I’d say that electric cables combines with a very efficient but slightly underpowered diesel engine is a better choice. That way they can decrease emissions and weight at the same time

[@showme360]

The E highway is the only short term answer and should be implement NOW. Battery technology will catch up at some point and this system will still prove to be useful in areas where there is steep inclines and that is exactly where we need to start in stalling them. Even if only Hybrid truck are introduced it would still make a significant contribution. But I guess the Oil industry still has a good grasp on fight transport, when it comes to politics.

[@tfl-larsm24]

It seems that Scania and Siemens used the same setup for "eRoad E16," 200 km north of Stockholm, 2016-2020.

[@nitinjain1605]

The Pantagraph will be damaged if the above head electric wire doesn't laid out in zigzag pattern !!! ... The project seems to have laid out electric wire in straight manner the only way there is movement is due to wind or truck lateral movement

[@widodoakrom3938]

No need to do that with this bcs this isn't for every highways

[@j.c.p.4671]

The city of Cambridge, Massachusetts has these wires overhead for buses. But is in the process of dismantling them. Block by block each week starting from Harvard Square.

[@pixelnobs]

Isn't it much more efficient to make train tracks and put freight trains on it??

[@pixelnobs]

Atleast better than the Tesla Semi with a HUGE battery

[@dustojnikhummer]

I have a feeling it would be cheaper to build a railway track next to the highway instead.

[@ramblingrob4693]

Quicker an 1000t load pulled by one or two electric locos err already happened

[@udayry]

In the erstwhile Soviet Union, city buses and buses plying on suburban routes used electric motors connected to the grid using pantographs. I see that there is improvisation on sensors and automation but the rest is the same.

[@rainerwaansinn]

Do a simple calculation: Trucks drive at a distance of 100 metres. That means 10 lorries per kilometre of overhead line. Each lorry wants to charge 100 KWh. That makes a total of 1000 KWH = 1 MWh. Extrapolate this to 10 kilometres, i.e. 10 MWh. And they are all supposed to be supplied via a cable (as thick as a thumb)? There are so many lorries on our German motorways, and you can see it on an "ELISA" test route between Frankfurt and Darmstadt. But 99.9 % of them are still diesel lorries. Will it ever be electric lorries?

[@agems56]

Amazing advances in only two years! Batteries are now available to power truck tractors efficiently!

[@iankravitz5723]

It does like a good alternative. But for a large scale rollout, using solar farms may not be viable. Which means more power plants. Which may mean more greenhouse gases. Large scale electrification may be problematic at this point in development.

[@superj8502]

It's like a train, but less efficient. I seriously wonder how they got funding for this.

[@lws7394]

It"s like a train, but more flexible in its destinations, without the need to lay rails ! And more so you don't need trucks with heavy batteries for 800-1000km distances, which wreck the asphalt and have other battery related side effects. It even can used on conventional ice trucks, with a proven technology. The Germans calculate that layin overwires on 1/3 of autobahns will reduce 2/3 of truck transport related emissions !! The pay back period of lorry companies is said to be 18 months, and with room for commercial roi for the overwire investment , as well as payments for lost fuel tax to the government. Seems like a no brainer to me. They spend billions on 'potential' ' 'future' tech with a lot less sight on results than electric road.

[@superj8502]

@@lws7394 once you're laying the wires you're better off laying the rails as well. Rubber wheels and isolated operaion make them still way less efficient than trains. Another thing to consider is that highways are an incredibly inefficient and polluting use of space: they need to be so much wider than a railway to have the same capacity, which also means using more materials. On top of that, they need maintainance (which often amounts to complete dismantling and rebuilding) much more frequently than railways. Also they're more dangerous. To add a final nail to the coffin, they're slower; not just for passengers, but for freight too: in italy there's a high speed freight train running to replace some cargo flights.

[@lws7394]

@@superj8502 Dude, this is not about trains or light rail ! It is about distribution, from door to door. Bringing cargo from ports to a depot on a business park. Bringing goods from a national/reguonal distribution centre to a supermarket in your neighourhood. From the Ikea distribution centre in Dortmund to the the store in Cologne or Amsterdam. You 'll have hard time get the by rail. I don't think that when you go to the supermarket ( by bike, of course), that your veggies are delivered by rail. Or whether that would be practical , if so.

[@superj8502]

@@lws7394 that's just not true. Depots can and do recieve train deliveries. For example in switzerland all warehouses have train access so your average ikea recieves a 3 or 4 car long train on its internal platform. This allows the place to be smaller because a train platform for boxcars is a much more efficient use of space than a facility for unloading semi trucks. Alan Fisher has a great (and pretty short) video on this, so i suggest you watch it (i can give you the link if you need it). But all of this isn't that relevant to this specific case because in order for this equipment to be beneficial a substantial part of the trip needs to be on the highway, otherwise it's just dead weight for most of the trip. This means that this system is meant for long range transport, not local deliveries. You can really avoid the "by bike" comment because i do actually walk to the supermarket (it's literally 200m away, aldough i have to cross a four lane stroad). In fact, i do not own a car. I can get anywhere by bike or transit.

[@enemyofthestatewearein7945]

@@lws7394 In the UK, several major supermarkets extensively use trains for long distance haulage - search 'Tesco Train' for examples. Of course the final deliveries to the store are still by road but the distances are much shortened. This makes best use of each mode in terms of efficiency vs flexibility, but the supermarkets are using rail simply because it's cheaper - bulk rail transport is a fraction of the cost of road transport per Ton/KM.

[@AnnetteB-y8f]

Robert 😂 „her you can see the…the…Ladebildschirm“

[@Battleneter]

If only their was some kind of transport like on rails where cars can't go, maybe somehow link like dozens of trucks together where there is only one driver needed and one BIG electric truck engine, hmmm naa sounds too futuristic :)

[@kimlibera663]

Problem is car accidents. Would we get an electrical explosion. I would say go Maglev trains & gyroscopic vehicles.

[@nalo1728]

how do you track/charge the truck's electric consumption for the duration of using it . or you charge them by the distance? if so how about those trucks with more high power electric motors vs those with efficient ones but low power those that carry light weight but spacious like chips vs those that carry steel.

[@richardbloemenkamp8532]

It looks like a great idea. But how much do these overhead line cost to install. I think it would be great to have them on the A1 in France. There are so many trucks there that it should be profitable.

[@biplobbabo5623]

Super power. Long vehicles very carefully laoding.

[@MM-fe9mz]

This could be good for installing at weigh stations then the trucks would be driving slower under it so wouldn't need as much overhead wiring.

[@Atrociousnes]

Not even the future that's old past tech, which means we are devolving, not evolving

[@LFTRnow]

As soon as these start getting seriously built out, it will basically obsolete fossil-fueled trucks. The cost for delivery will be uncompetitive unless you use the pantagraph, which means more will be built, and more trucks, etc. It just needs a start from the various governments.

[@ramblingrob4693]

Bring back trolley buses, this is the same but on a truck old tech

[@lukek8522]

This has to be rolled out internationally from the beginning, otherwise each country will pick their own voltage.

[@janoschwecker1415]

Put Steak whels under it, now you have a Train

[@raygale4198]

They are called trolley buses/trucks, all the rage over 100 years ago

[@My-Opinion-Doesnt-Matter]

10:30 One wrong move and pantograph will short circut the lines?

[@gbphil]

There is a system already constructed on the motorway near Hamburg( A1?)What happens with abnormal load transport? The better solution would be inductive charging in the tarmac charging both cars and trucks.

[@gerald6919]

e highways over head grids are cost effective for now. solar roads will get there soon.

[@gbphil]

@@gerald6919 they’re all ready being tested in the UK. I can’t wait for the time you get a 15% boost for a 2 minute stop at a junction or are able to stop at any car park space and the car just starts charging. Bring back Little Chefs for the 30 minute full charge and pre-order Olympic Breakfasts as well.

[@ourv9603]

NO, it will be incredibly expensive to wire all roads w EV charging wires. I see only the motorways & freeways & highway - in other words the main thuro fares will be wired. !

[@petervonhunerbein68]

Der Reifenwiderstand frisst aber immer noch mehr Energie als ein Stahlrad auf Schiene. Also Schienen drunter und gut ist.

[@andrewharris3900]

I don’t get what the advantage of these are. How can I re-invent the train without having to build trains?

[@tiago1474]

Legal

[@Dondriver12345]

I like this technology

[@НиколайКравин-н4т]

Пусть они там ещё проходные светофоры поставят, сделают автоблокировку как на ж/д.

[@xbx.trains2192]

No just get trains at that point

[@MH-ns3bh]

Diesel trucks actually are very efficient. Before replacing them by EV trucks, all the standard passenger cars should be replaced!

[@parkourvids]

Actually it looks like a tram.

[@TheNthbeach]

I love this. I'm trying to work how this will work for Over dimension Loads, ie Transformers, Bridge Spans, Train Carriages, Trasportable Homes and Office Blocks, Wind Turbines, other large construction parts. Would you look at designated air bridges to these loads to pass.

[@LordPhobos6502]

I think these are going in the far lane only to keep the rest of the road height unrestricted.

[@gizmino8327]

congrats, you just built a train on the road

[@guilhermesartorato93]

A "train on the road" looks like a rather efficient (and even elegant) solution for the last mile to me.

[@a3_tigar]

Trains exist for a reason

[@erwh1]

Put it on steel wheels and rails and it will actually be efficient.

[@djjaskolmechanik3509]

2024 system is kaput👍👍👍😃

[@Reese-Tube]

What ETS mod is this?

[@playgt326]

No, is part of the future, the ecology 💪🏻

[@bernardoespindola6991]

Oh look! Another overengineered train reinvention concept.

[@chawza8402]

Does that mean the truck has two engine? one for oil and one for electric motor?

[@paulmentzer7658]

Depends on the design. If the batteries are large enough to get the truck back to the power lines, no need for any gasoline (Petrol for you non-Americans) or diesel engine. If the distance is to great, then you need a gasoline or diesel backup engine to act as a electric generator. I can see the trucks on major roads, but not on local roads. From what I have read if you can keep trips off line to 15 minutes or less, these trucks can work very well in most urban areas by just putting power lines over major roads. The biggest problem will be how to pay for the electric power? The best way would be a control on the truck sends to the electric provider a message of about how much power the truck used.

[@alamira.9635]

this is literally just a train but worse and with extra steps

[@leifandersen2756]

Tram lines ?They look horribly.Imagine that the lines are blown down during a storm !A clumsy solution of a recharge situation .I hope the will never will be a reality !

[@pikakas]

中国でこれをやったら、違法改造して車にパンタグラフを取り付けて盗電するのが流行りそう

[@paulke5362]

This video includes Kenyan trucks on highway,bahari

[@andrewbennett7756]

Bring back trolly buses cleaners no deisle buses in the city

[@Diabeł756]

Kolejny gupi wynalazek bez przyszłości to zrubcie odrazy wymienne wózki kołowe i odrazy na tory to jeden huj czy kolej czy ciężarówka na tory bendzie taniej infrastruktury kolejowej są już rozbudowane

[@vincebreen3-55]

Ha All the cities going nuts to rid the side of city streets of power poles any you think they will install these to specific routes trucks will have to use. Talk of opening them to robberies. Nuts I tell ya be nuts

[@douglaslynn157]

no need with the new sodium phosphate batteries. 1500 mile range, recharge in 15 minutes.

[@isabeldose1677]

When South Asia use E - Road.

[@aoilpe]

There is a thing called “Train” were this technology exists already… how about electrification of the American train system? Millions of gallons to be saved…!

[@Riese35]

Wozu diese Technologie? Viel Aufwand, wenig Wirkung! Viel besser wäre es, die Ware in Container zu verladen (wie im Schiffsverkehr heute Standard) und die Container dann über weite Distanzen auf der Eisenbahn zu transportieren: keine Batterie, weniger Rollwiderstand, energieeffizienter, weniger Motorführer. Statt Autobahnen mit Oberleitungen auszustatten, wäre es besser, ein dichtes Netz weitgehend automatisierter Containerverladestellen Eisenbahn-LKW bereitzustellen und nur die letzten Kilometer die Container auf dem LKW zu tranportieren.

[@kristjansaar1678]

can u put this on to Buses

[@paulmentzer7658]

Trolley buses have used similar systems for decades. In the former Warsaw Pack countries you have many Trolley buses that also permit trucks to use the system. The problem is those lines are only on roads covered by Trolley-buses and no one has set up a system to determine how much each Trolley-bus uses (This is a big issue for commercial trucks, for you have many operators of Commercial trucks, but in Trolley-bus systems you have only one user of the electric power, thus no need to determine how much power each Trolley Bus uses, all of them use the same power source and the system pays for power for the whole system not each Trolley-bus). In many ways this is very old technology, going back to at least the 1920s, and if you include streetcars to the 1890s. The problem is how do you charge each user? In a conventional system, all of "Users" (Trains, Streetcars or Trolley-buses) are all owned by the same operator, thus that operator pays one electric bill as power is used by the entire system. With Commercial trucks, you no longer have just one operator but many and each has to pay for the power they are using. How do you charge each such user? The only way is to have a meter on the truck but how do you make sure someone can not bypass the meter (and get the electric power for free)?. Thus the problem is not the overhead wire, electric power or anything else but how to get the user to pay for the power?

[@guilhermesartorato93]

@@paulmentzer7658 Electricity companies have over 100 years of experience with meter tampering, and developed lots of countermeasures to minimize such issue. The difference here is, the role of checking the meters would switch from them to transit authority, that already makes yearly inspections on vehicles. EDIT - Forgot to mention transit authority has almost 100 years of experience with odometer and taximeter tampering as well.

[@Dondriver12345]

​@@paulmentzer7658I think this can be resolved similar to the road tolls. So, the truck would have the meter and the transponder and when it passes some checkpoints, the data is transferred to the provider. Knowing standard electricity consumption and the distance they can spot cheaters.

[@degenetron7590]

Isn't CGTN some chinese state media

[@guilhermesartorato93]

Yep. Citing the title of a "The Economist" article, "China is spending billions on its foreign-language media" :-)

[@localnyraccoon]

I have a better idea. Trains.

[@dddf27]

Train already exist in Europe

[@MBZ2K23]

bro gonna reinvent trains ?

[@peldar_]

Germans will do anything to not use freighttrains...

[@jonny2900]

Germany uses way more freight train transport than most countries

[@petervonhunerbein68]

like Lichtenstein, Vatican, Monaco, Ireland, Iceland etc.

[@GSSurry]

Came here to learn about the future of transport and left because of annoying background music. Nein Danke

[@DPMRsEmail]

about time, thanks for the push Tesla.

[@George-tz1cv]

Make a video illustrating how China, India and Russia are fighting greenhouse emissions.

[@yannickdescombes5611]

For heavy transportation and long distances, knowing a truck needs 8 to 10 times more energy than a train, due to tyres resistance, why not using a train, with electrical system? Solution is there, and no one cares.

[@dddf27]

Truck serve as a last mile connection for freight transport. To connect factories with railway freight terminal you require trucks to move the cargo between them. technically, you can connect the railway directly into the factory but it is quite inefficient in contrast by just transporting all the cargo from all the factories by truck into the railway freight terminal. Because truck use oil to run, it is not environmentally friendly. By hooking truck into overhead cable like electric train we can cut carbon emission and probably not burning the earth to the ground.

[@yannickdescombes5611]

@@dddf27 I agree with you. The problem here in Europe (I'm french) is that trucks haul cargo on very long distances, and that trains are not used enough, as consequence of european business rules.

[@ravikumarbalasubramaniam7248]

​​@@dddf27It is truly Environmental friendly only when electricity is produced from sources like wind or solar or nuclear (nuclear have its own disadvantages but don't pollute like burning oil).

[@BrysonTheTomato]

sounds like trains but worse to me

[@ArtStoneUS]

It's only one small step from this to get to autonomous driving...

[@paulmentzer7658]

Yes, Streetcars had this technology by 1890, Trains by the 1880s and except for a few exceptions, NONE OF THEM ARE SELF DRIVING. As to the few "Self Driving" Streetcars, they are all own they own Right of Way and thus do not have to interact with other vehicles, pedestrians, Bicyclists and if fenced off wild animals). Over head wires provide power only, it does not address the issue of how a vehicle interacts with other Vehicles, Pedestrians, Bicyclists and Animals. To have true Self Driving Cars you have to have a system that can interact with other Vehicles, Pedestrians, Bicyclists and Animals and we are no where near that unless you isolate the Self Driving Vehicle away from other Vehicles, Pedestrians, Bicyclists and Animals.

[@cornelzarzu3401]

Uuuuuuuu

[@RBLVentures]

You mean like electric busses..YEEEAAAHH I never seen that before Ha Ha Ha

[@matt39581]

just build a god damn train ffs

[@coach2208]

What a ridiculous way to transport goods , waste of money and materials.

[@rickswineberg]

Ridiculous