Move over, hybrids. There’s a new semi in town.
Scania, a Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer, announced they performed the first test on their new solar-powered hybrid semi. The test comes after two years of research and collaboration with other researchers. The goal of this new innovation is to utilize solar power to make the transportation industry more sustainable while cutting costs as well.
The recent tests by Scania were to discover how long the solar semi could drive on sunlight alone. The 560 horsepower hybrid semi is covered in 1,000 square feet of lightweight solar panels. In Sweden’s limited sunshine, the truck can drive 3,100 miles/year and in sunnier regions it is estimated to double that amount.
“Our solar panels are excellent for applications that make commercial vehicles sustainable. We see great potential to decrease the emissions from heavy vehicles with electrification. Electricity generated by solar panels will save fuel and carbon emissions. We want to be a partner to count on, and that is enabled by this ground-breaking project,” said Erik Olsson, Midsummer Head of Corporate Development.
Watch the solar semi below:
