Self-Powered Trailers Promise Leaner Freight Runs
Summary
IEEE Spectrum explores the race to electrify semitrailers for long-haul freight through self-powered trailer kits. The piece highlights multi-source energy harvesting (regenerative braking, rooftop solar, and grid charging), compares architectures from Nivalis Energy Europe and Trailer Dynamics, and discusses payback, payload impacts, and the lack of a universal savings metric. It underscores the economics, pilot activity across Europe and North America, and the evolving landscape for decarbonization in freight.