Conductive Electric Road System for Heavy-Duty Trucks 2022-01-0136

The widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EV) is key to reducing CO₂ emissions from vehicles in operation to zero. One example of an initiative furthering the realization of that aim is the introduction of an Electric Road System (ERS) with a dynamic charging system that recharges EVs in operation directly from the electric road. This paper describes the results of testing an ERS with a system for conductive charging from the side applied to heavy-duty trucks.

Total CO₂ emissions in the world have risen to approximately 36.75 billion tons (FY2016), with the motor vehicle sector accounting for 5.88 billion tons, or 16% of the total. A large portion of that is attributable to cargo vehicles (trucks and buses). To achieve CO₂ emissions reduction in this motor vehicle sector to zero, it is necessary to introduce vehicles that are powered only by electric motors and that do not carry fossil fuels; in other words, electric vehicles (EV) and fuel cell vehicles (FCV). At present, however, EVs face a number of major issues. The principal issues are their range, installed battery capacity, and energy replenishment (support for ultra-rapid charging) as well as the installation of infrastructure for it.

Given this background, the technology developed here applies conductive charging from the side for heavy-duty trucks on an Electric Road System (ERS). The results from the design, prototype fabrication, and road testing of this technology show that it successfully provided charging power of 450 kW (DC voltage of 750 V, current of 600 A) to a vehicle driving at between 7 and 80 km/h. It also became evident that this technology would make it possible to realize goals that up to now had been considered serious challenges, namely full electrification of heavy-duty trucks, a large reduction in installed battery capacity, and unlimited range. This report presents results from the development of a fully electrified heavy-duty truck (44-ton tractor) for ERS use and a new model of ERS infrastructure.

This technology makes it possible to convert vehicles ranging from passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks to EVs for operation on a common ERS infrastructure. It would thus become possible to reduce CO₂ emissions from motor vehicles in operation to zero in the near future.