Self-Powered Trailers Promise Leaner Freight Runs
I explore how companies like Nivalis Energy Europe and Trailer Dynamics are retrofitting semitrailers with electric axles, solar panels, and batteries to slash diesel consumption. By harvesting energy from regenerative braking and grid charging, these self-powered trailers offer a cost-effective path to decarbonizing long-haul freight without replacing existing tractor units.
The discussion should not start with battery size, but with the economics of the transport operation.
- WindyTree
In the US, commercial trailers are used like these crappy sheds, you go get one and the ABS unit is gone, the only thing worth stealing. For any company where this doesn’t hold it’s a big deal. The bigger deal is really RV trailers. You power assist, with simple motors controlled by pulling, and you can pull a huge one with ANY car, you don’t need truck, just modified mirrors. Plus the RV trailer benefits from slow self movement and power wall when disconnected. Total off grid tiny home.
- just_some_user
Cool, but I don’t see the real benefit.
Electronic trucks already work quite well, start at around 150k (vs. 150k for a retrofitted e trailer), and are afaik mostly limited by the charging infrastructure. If you now add a an electronic trailer to your diesel truck, you now also have to care about charging.
Yes, in Europe the legally required rest periods can already be used for efficient charging, but this is not an benefiting exclusiv to the trailers, but for general electronic trucking.
- 1ncorrect
These paired with Janus Electric[0] conversions would make a hell of a road train.
- SonOfKyuss
It’s an interesting idea. A company called Hyliion https://www.hyliion.com/ tried something similar here in the US about 10 years ago. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to have success in the market and ended up pivoting to power generation for data centers.
- jnovacho
This trailer saves 7000l of diesel per year. Assuming 40l/100km, with this trailer you can go ~17.000 km more, which is 11-17% more, for the same fuel cost. Or ~12-15k EUR in fuel savings per year (assuming 1.8EUR/l).
With 13+ years ROI (electricity is not free) is this really beneficial?