E-Truck with Pantograph

Webasto, in collaboration with the “Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components” (PEM) Chair at RWTH Aachen University, is presenting an electrified truck featuring pantographs at the IAA Transportation trade fair. 

Gilching - August 29, 2022 - The new era of electric trucks is taking concrete shape here: At the joint outdoor stand (T 83) at the IAA Transportation in Hanover (September 20-25), Top 100 supplier Webasto, in cooperation with RWTH Aachen University, is providing exciting insights into a research project for Europe's first prototype of an all-electric truck with an overhead current collector (pantograph).

Heavy trucks are responsible for a significant proportion of today's CO2 emissions from the transport sector. The main objective of the project is therefore to develop several electric trucks whose powertrains can be selected according to the application and thus optimized economically. On this basis, the experts from the "Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components" (PEM) department developed the first prototype of an electrified truck with pantographs.

The technology behind this is completely new, so advanced solutions had to be found. Webasto therefore provided support not only with important individual components - the standard battery system and the Vehicle Interface Gateway (VIG) - but also with technical advice. In the meantime, the prototype has already successfully undergone initial field tests, which clearly show the great potential of the project. Since the required infrastructure can be implemented quite quickly, current studies indicate that the use of trolley trucks can save around 50 percent of CO2 emissions compared with conventional trucks by 2030. 

"The goal is to further optimize the system and reach a higher level of maturity. In this way, we want to get to a point where the modular powertrain system is not only mature, but also really interesting from an economic point of view," says Simon Dünnwald, Group Manager E-Mobility Production Engineering at PEM. Michael Bauer, Vice President Business Line Energy Management at Webasto, adds, "The transport of goods and commodities is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. Economically viable electric alternatives are more important than ever here. For us, it is therefore a matter of course to support this great project and to continue to stand by those responsible."