The objective of this project is to design and prove the feasibility of an energy generation/storage system to be outfitted on a traditional tractor trailer with the intent to extend the range of electric semi-trucks. The transportation industry is pressured to reduce their emissions as they are the largest contributor of greenhouse gases. Therefore, companies are planning to integrate electric semi-trucks from producers such as Volvo and Tesla into their fleet. The most prominent limitation of electric semi-trucks is their short range. Our project’s sponsor sees commercial opportunity in this limitation and wants to create an add on system for conventional trailers that would extend the range of the electric semi-truck. Specifically, he wants to explore the feasibility of using brake regeneration, solar, and wind turbine systems to generate electricity. The commercial availability, and ability to design a system that is compatible with produced semi-trucks will be determined to prove the system’s practical for the industry. Our project aims to analyze the practicality of each technology and design a system that offers an extended range to electric semi-trucks, proving its commercial viability for our sponsor.

Our team collaborated with Electrical and Computer Engineering 18 on this project.