TEMPLIN, Germany (Reuters) — The joint project by Siemens and the German government aims to achieve climate friendly traffic by 2050, according to Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks who visited the test track north of Berlin.
Hendricks told reporters that what Germany needed was not just Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “Energiewende”, or shift from nuclear power and fossil fuels towards renewable energy sources.
A shift away from conventional traffic was equally crucial, the environment minister said.
According to Siemens, “the energy supply system is based on proven technology from the world of railroad electrification. The two-pole catenary system ensures a reliable energy supply for the eHighway truck. The catenary system leads to a level contact wire that enables stable current transmission, even at high speeds.”
Germany intends to put electrically powered trucks to test on conventional roads from 2018 in the states of Schleswig-Holstein on the border with Denmark and the southern state of Hesse.