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Publication
The “enERSyn” project at the Chair of Electric Railways is analyzing drive technologies for climate-friendly road freight transport. Researchers in the joint project believe that stationary charged battery vehicles offer the greatest potential for a drive turnaround in truck traffic, while complementary technologies such as Electric Road Systems (ERS) can also close gaps in the establishment of battery-powered trucks.
Battery technology, hydrogen in the combustion engine or a fuel cell, dynamic charging, battery swapping or e-trailers - which drive technology will determine road freight transport in the future? In the "enERSyn” project, researchers from the Chair of Electric Railways are investigating truck drive technologies under technical, economic, ecological and energy management criteria. The aim of the joint project is to evaluate various energy supply systems for electric drives and to identify potential synergies between electric road systems (ERS) and stationary energy transmission technologies. The research project is being carried out jointly with the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg (ifeu) and the German Institute for Economic Research Berlin (DIW).
The future of road freight transport is electric
In a first publication, the researchers initially state that stationary charged battery vehicles represent the future technology for road freight transport despite existing challenges. The biggest disadvantages include the space required for the necessary charging infrastructure, the additional demand for critical raw materials and challenges in the area of grid integration and the stability of energy systems. According to the authors, the additional costs of establishing battery-electric trucks would probably be offset in 2030. Alternative technologies such as dynamic charging via electric road systems (ERS), battery swap systems (BWS), H2 use in fuel cells (H2-FCEV) or combustion engines (H2-ICEV) and e-trailers each pose their own challenges, but could compensate for existing gaps in stationary energy supply as so-called “complementary technologies”.
Visualization of potentials of different drive technologies in road freight transport compared to battery drive with stationary charging infrastructure
Dynamic charging processes using electric road systems (ERS)
In a focus paper, the researchers also look at dynamic charging processes while driving using Electric Road Systems (ERS), which supply the vehicle with electricity inductively via overhead lines or current coils in the road surface, as well as with battery exchange stations. The authors conclude:
ERS may be able to address some key challenges of stationary charging (especially in terms of space requirements, battery sizes, and operational adaptation requirements). They can be considered advanced in terms of technical development, reliability, and standardization (especially overhead catenary technology).
Outlook
The “enERSyn” project funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) will run until July 2025. The researchers see great potential in the investigation of complementary technologies such as dynamic charging processes:
A timely expansion of electricity supply networks along the main transport corridors is essential for powering electric heavy-duty transport, regardless of the charging technol-ogy used. Based on current knowledge, this is likely to become a bottleneck for the achievable ramp-up speed of electric trucking.
Originalautor
Contact
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Arnd Stephan
Holder of the Chair of Electric Railways
+49 351 463-36730
arnd.stephan@tu-dresden.de
Dipl.-Ing. Markus Werner
Research Assitant
+49 351 463-36645
markus.werner@tu-dresden.de
Dipl.-Ing. Martin Ruscher
Research Assistant
