Trucks on a German Highway Can Connect to Overhead Electrical Wires in Effort to Reduce Emissions

The ever-inquisitive Tom Scott (previously) traveled to Lübeck, Germany to see firsthand an enormous highway project in which trucks can connect themselves to the electrical grid using specialized pantographs. These are motorized arms that lift out of the roof of the car to meet overhead wires. The idea behind this seemingly simple, albeit expensive undertaking is to reduce emissions on a broad scale.

In Lübeck, Germany, there’s one of several eHighway test projects: overhead catenary wires, where electric trucks with pantographs can pull power directly from the grid.