Bosch has launched a technology that makes electromobility possible for today's semi trucks. At the 2018 IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hannover, Bosch has presented an electrified axle that can be integrated into semitrailers. The idea behind it is to integrate an electrical machine into the semitrailer’s axles, instead of simply allowing them to roll freely, as has been the case up to now. This means they can generate electricity during braking, and feed it into the trailer’s power units.

Save Up To 9,000 Litres Per Year

In the case of refrigerated trailers, it is estimated that as much as 10,000 Euros could be saved each year. If the cooling unit is operated using the power generated in this way, Bosch calculates that it can save up to 9,000 litres per year.  In addition, an electrical start and acceleration boost function can help save additional fuel.  Any fuel saving also reduces CO2 emissions. As electric cooling units make significantly less noise, deliveries can be made early in the morning or late in the evening without disturbing the neighbours.

"Bosch Is Making Trucks' Rear Axles Electric and Smart"

Member of the Robert Bosch GmbH board of management Dr. Markus Heyn says: "Bosch is making trucks’ rear axles electric and smart. Our electrification solution for trucks makes economic sense and shows how electromobility can work even in today’s trucks."

Adding a powertrain to the axle means that the trailer can be shunted around the parking lot without a tractor. It is an important step toward automated trailer parking on logistics companies’ parking lots.

Bosch offers this technology either for new trailers or as a retrofit solution. In Europe alone, roughly a quarter of a million trailers with a gross vehicle weight of more than 10 metric tons are newly registered every year. One in five of these is equipped with a refrigeration unit.