
DHL has been installing Trailar-brand name photo voltaic panel units on vans its U.S. pickup and supply fleet, making electrical power to charge carry gates, the battery, and other ancillary equipment.
Photo: DHL
Solar technology has sophisticated to the place solar panels are adaptable, slim, simply set up, and reliable ample for lots of trucking apps. One location attaining additional attention is using solar strength to demand auxiliary (or truck starter) batteries to ability liftgates.
Fleet owners can put in photo voltaic panels on their vans to present a supply of renewable electricity for their electrical methods. This lessens reliance on truck alternator electricity to demand batteries that electricity these methods. Solar panels preserve auxiliary batteries charged even when the truck engine is not operating, so there is generally power readily available for liftgate functions.
“Liftgates take hundreds down to the floor and back again up to the trailer, making use of a great total of electrical power in a really small sum of time,” says Kevin Otto, the electrification technical lead at the North American Council for Freight Efficiency. “As long as the solar is shining, solar panels will give energy to preserve auxiliary batteries billed. If the sunlight is shining, photo voltaic will supply a trickle charge to the batteries.”
Power Troubles of Tractor-Trailer Combinations
Ordinarily electric power to brakes, running lights, and turn alerts employed to come by way of a seven-way link amongst the tractor and the trailer. But as trailers developed, companies additional much more electrical loads to trailers and the calls for on truck alternators grew.
Now, fleets also put in auxiliary batteries to satisfy the electrical power requires of electrical elements. But when auxiliary batteries are utilized, fleets should determine how to charge them.
“You want a supply to recharge the batteries to hold them topped off,” NACFE’s Otto clarifies. “That can possibly come from the motor alternator or from solar panels mounted on the trailer.”
Commonly, fleets rely on Team 31 batteries to produce liftgate power, which need to have 200 to 300 peak Amps to run. These batteries re-billed by way of the truck alternator as the trucks moved down the road. New idle regulations and shorter generate instances concerning deliveries now complicate keeping auxiliary batteries charged.
“These calls for have pushed numerous clients to find supplemental resources of recharge, solar staying a single of them. If you are managing at a deficit, [taking more energy out of the batteries over the course of the day than your putting back in] you will need to have a supplemental supply of ability replenishment,” states Arnold Kowal, director for just after product sales aid at Maxon Lift. “Solar is a standalone technique, meaning if it is set up on a truck or trailer, the tractor or truck chassis motor doesn’t have to be working in purchase for the photo voltaic system to develop electrical power for the battery. The availability and the angle of daylight determines how a great deal electricity is place into the batteries.”
Otto warns if fleets enable auxiliary batteries to go lifeless, it will shorten their life. Photo voltaic panels present a trickle demand that keeps batteries topped off to reduce this from occurring.
“You need to retain batteries charged as significant as doable at all instances,” he says. “A adequately sized solar panel can deliver extra present and battery charging capability to assistance control refrigeration models, electrical liftgates, and telematics products.”
Even now, Otto reminds this electrical power “will be supplemental to the engine, motor alternator and the cab battery system. It may perhaps provide more than enough present for some functions so that you do not depend on the taxi as much for energy.”
Otto indicates putting photo voltaic panels on trailers to extend battery everyday living and regulate electrical masses. To determine the variety and measurement of solar panels the rig can assistance, he claims to measure the trailer. Then the number of batteries required and how they will be billed depends on lifts for each day, load weights and sizes, weather and climate, distance concerning stops, and much more.
“It relies upon on the utilization profile of the fleet. What variety of gate? How considerably vitality is taken out of the battery pack,” claims Kowal.
The subsequent ways consist of mounting the ideal amount of photo voltaic panels employing supplied components, connecting them to the demand controller, then connecting the demand controller to the vehicle’s electrical process to produce energy from the solar panel(s) to auxiliary batteries.
“If you have a photo voltaic panel put in and the responsibility cycles right—and you have enough sunshine—a photo voltaic panel can keep batteries topped off better,” Otto says. “Battery everyday living will increase. Lead-acid batteries don’t previous as lengthy if entirely discharged. For most trailer applications, a solitary 3-foot by 6-foot panel will enrich the operation and would not be too high-priced to place up there, whereas masking the overall trailer with photo voltaic panels would price tag a really penny.”
Photo voltaic Considerations
Otto investigated solar strength to ability liftgates and other apps for NACFE. In his exploration, he cited a number of issues solar use, all of which are critical to think about as fleets weigh a change to photo voltaic power.
Price can be a consideration for fleets that have a few or additional trailers for a solitary tractor. Right here, fleets would have to have to equip just about every trailer individually simply because photo voltaic devices are not portable among trailers. Even now, the NACFE choice-making resource demonstrates a medium to significant self esteem ranking for liftgate assistance and a two-year payback.

Maxon Lift Gate operates with Merlin Photo voltaic for photo voltaic panels to ability its liftgates.
Photograph: Maxxon
One particular explanation for the rapid ROI is battery savings, Otto notes. Some solar panel brands say it is possible to double the existence of a Group 31 battery with solar power. Otto normally takes a much more conservative estimate.
“If fleets switch these batteries each and every 1 ½ to 2 a long time, which is a great cost. The price savings can be significant if you prolong that time by just 50%,” he says. “Installing solar panels is an expense. But the economics might do the job out for a lot of fleets.”
Sun availability also can existing a challenge.
“The availability of sunlight decides how a lot power is put back into the batteries,” Kowal describes.
Liftgate electrical devices are only augmented by solar panels for the duration of the daytime. How a lot power solar can offer relies upon on the angle of the solar and length of solar exposure. Cloud levels also vary from region to location. A 300- watt photo voltaic panel at 12 volts will provide all around 20 Amps. If the solar only shines 12 several hours a day (and even fewer in particular locations), the ability delivered will drop shorter of the most spec, according to Otto.
“You never get approximately as much ability in close proximity to sunset or sunrise as when the sun is really high in the sky,” he clarifies.
Dust, dust, rain and snow also can decrease the success of photo voltaic conversions. Brands of solar panels have additional resilient coatings designed to reduce harm from the factors and have designed panels to withstand powerful vibration and thermal biking, truck washes and particles, Otto says.
When identifying if solar makes sense, Otto recommends fleet supervisors contemplate:
- The full value of panels with set up.
- Panel rating and actual physical sizing. He explains the spot where by solar panels can be mounted might be confined.
- The battery substitute rate for the fleet.
- Roadside calls to jumpstart or replace batteries.
- The region in which the photo voltaic panels will be used.
“These issues will enable fleets assess if photo voltaic panels are a good expense,” Otto concludes, noting fleets may possibly also see financial savings in lessened idling, a lot less load on the alternator, amplified battery lifetime, and fewer roadside phone calls when solar panels are utilized.
In spite of the challenges, photo voltaic is taking off. One cause is it is turn out to be extra acceptable, according to Anton Griessner, vice president of promoting and small business progress at Maxon Elevate Gate.
“Solar is green. You are using vitality from the solar,” he states. “It’s a standalone method. If it is put in on a truck or trailer, the chassis doesn’t have to operate for the photo voltaic program to generate ability for the battery. If it’s on a trailer, for instance, sitting in the property, it is nonetheless producing power and putting it again into the batteries as prolonged as there is sunlight.”
Maxon Lift Gate functions with Merlin Photo voltaic for photo voltaic panels to electricity its carry gates. The cause for this is very simple, “Merlin Solar panels did not get started out with going on a developing roof,” Griessner states. “They were being normally intended to go on a shifting car or truck.”
