Stretching across the heart of Europe , Germany 's spider-web of highways ferries tons of goods on their journey across the continent and beyond . The country is a strategic transport gateway between east and west , with four million trucks racing down its roads day and night , helping to keep its industrial economy ticking . But with road transport accounting for about one-fifth of the EU 's total emissions of carbon dioxide , the main greenhouse gas , there is a pressing need to find cleaner ways of hauling cargo . Enter eHighway -- a bold new idea to adapt existing technology behind tram lines to electrify trucks on the highway . The project is currently taking shape in the workshops of German electrical giant Siemens , and scientists hope it will eventually enable trucks to drive almost emission free . `` Right now we only have electro mobility for cars , and with this project we want to develop the technology to drive trucks electrically , '' says Michael Lehmann , the technical project manager of the initiative . Adapting systems . The technology is being tested at a former Soviet airbase near Berlin , and centers on hybrid trucks . These are fed electricity from powerlines , which are dotted along the road , through a so-called pantograph . The device , which is more commonly used for trams , is mounted on the truck 's roof , and plays a crucial part in the operation . `` It needs to work even if you have to brake quickly or if you suddenly have to leave the lane . Those are all the small steps , but they are necessary to make it work , '' says Lehmann . Trucks are not limited to one lane only -- they can overtake one another by detaching from the power lines when the driver blinks , and then can return to position by lifting the pantograph back up to the cables when the process is complete . Lehman says that this automation could be applied beyond the highways . `` Whenever you have trucks driving the same route shuttling goods back and forth all day , that is where we want to use this technology . '' he explains . `` So , also in logistic centers in ports and mining applications as well , '' adds Lehman . Going green . The European Commission estimates that by 2050 freight transport in the EU will increase by 80 % , and experts stress that moving cargo has to become more environmentally-friendly . `` If we want to achieve our climate emission targets we have to think about alternative drive trains , hybridization , but also of course substitutes , so we would try to shift a lot more towards trains , '' says Jens Weinmann , of the European School of Management and Technology . With that in mind , the eHighway project seeks to combine the efficiency of rail transport with the flexibility of trucks . Trials are set to move from the test area near Berlin to a public road in the U.S. next year , and in time , engineers hope this technology could amp the green credentials of logistics around the world . Read more : Super fast and green ? How the new breed of sports cars is getting a makeover . Read more : Want a top notch college degree but ca n't afford it ? Head to Germany . Read more : Welcome to the factory of the future .
eHighway project aims to keep trucks on the highway . It uses solar power lines , to make it almost emission free . The system is being tested near China , but plans to move to a public trial in the U.S. next year .