LONG HAUL VERSUS THE LAST MILE FLEET ELECTRIFICATION – PROS AND CONS

Electric trucking presents more problems than solutions

By Dave Heller, SVP of government affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association

The buzz around electric cars has been going for quite some time, but now the focus has shifted to electric trucks. The idea of being free from the pump and doing something positive for the environment is certainly appealing. However, this aspiration is yet to become a full-blown reality.

The Biden administration in the US aims to make all new commercial trucks electric by 2040. While it may seem like a laudable goal, there are significant challenges to overcome. The technology required to make electric trucks at this scale is still in its early stages, and perhaps most importantly, the country lacks the infrastructure and power grid to support it.

Charging infrastructure

One of the significant hurdles on the path to electric trucks is the lack of a charging infrastructure. We do not have the electrical infrastructure in place to handle the infusion of thousands of battery-powered trucks. Electric trucks require a massive amount of power to charge, and the grid is not equipped to handle that demand. The country’s power grid needs to be updated to handle what is currently in play. And, even if the power grid were upgraded, the cost would be enormous – definitely in the billions, if not trillions. Furthermore, the time it takes to charge an electric truck battery is much longer than refueling a traditional truck. Currently, the time it takes to fully charge a car can be measured in hours, while the time to fill a fuel tank is measured in minutes. We do not have an extensive enough charging infrastructure, and what exists often is not efficient enough to meet the needs of time-sensitive travelers.

More trucks required

Another significant challenge is the size and weight of the batteries required to power an electric truck. The amount of goods transported across the country by trucks is only increasing, but the size of an electric truck battery severely limits the amount of space available for transporting goods. The heavier the battery, the less cargo it can carry, and that will impact the supply chain as well. It would stand to reason then, that to move the current amount of freight we would require even more trucks on the road.

Electric trucking is then met with two issues already very present in the industry – a shortage of drivers and truck parking spaces. If electric trucks carry less cargo, then more trucks are needed on the roads to efficiently transport goods. With more trucks, comes the need for even more truck parking spaces. Currently, truck drivers spend an average 56 minutes a day looking for parking, which significantly cuts into their driving time and causes delays in the supply chain. There is no telling how long truckers would spend looking for spaces if the industry went fully electric.

While there are ongoing efforts to improve the technology of electric trucks, significant breakthroughs are yet to be made. The development of new battery technologies that are lighter and more powerful is still in the experimental stage, and the timeline for a viable solution is uncertain. But it would be foolish to bet against innovation; we might see a breakthrough in battery technology at any time.

Reducing environmental impact of conventional trucks

Our skepticism about the administration’s ambitious policy goal should not be seen as opposition to cleaner energy. We recognize that the trucking industry faces challenges in reducing its environmental impact. The demand for freight transportation is increasing, which means that there are more trucks on the road than ever before. The industry has taken – and continues to take – several steps to decrease its impact on the environment.

When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented regulations to reduce emissions from diesel engines in heavy-duty trucks, the industry stepped up and embraced those regulations. They have resulted in cleaner-burning engines and reduced emissions. The trucking industry has made progress in improving fuel efficiency. Newer trucks are equipped with more efficient engines, and technologies such as aerodynamic designs and low rolling resistance tires have been adopted to improve fuel economy.

The industry has also been exploring alternative fuels such as natural gas, biodiesel, and electric power. These fuels emit fewer greenhouse gases than diesel and can help to reduce the carbon footprint of the industry.

The trucking industry has also adopted eco-driving practices that utilize new technologies such as GPS, telematics, and automated transmissions to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.

Overall, there are several ways the trucking industry can and does help the environment, from implementing fuel-efficient technologies to adopting alternative fuels and improving logistics and route planning. While electric trucks may not be a viable option yet, there are many other things that can be done to reduce emissions and improve sustainability.

The idea of electric trucks is still more of an aspiration than a reality. While the Biden Administration’s goal is admirable, it remains to be seen if it is achievable. However, with ongoing research and development, it is possible that electric trucks will become a reality in the future and when that happens, the trucking industry will be ready to embrace those standards.

Why the last mile is the easiest to electrify

By Roger Brereton, head of sales, Pailton Engineering

The final mile, or last mile, of a delivery refers to the transportation of goods from the transportation hub to the final destination. If you speak to anyone who is familiar with the delivery ecosystem, they will tell you that this final mile is the most difficult.

It is also, however, the easiest to electrify. Those commercial vehicles responsible for the middle mile – delivery from the depot to the stores – are large and must travel long distances. They require very heavy, expensive batteries and range anxiety becomes more of an issue for long haul journeys. In comparison, smaller vans are easier to electrify.

The green mile

While there might be disagreement on the net contribution of e-commerce to our carbon footprint, there is less disagreement about the benefits of delivery companies electrifying their fleets. In the US, for example, transportation is responsible for over 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than any other sector.

Some have argued that even if electric vehicles have no tailpipe emissions, the electricity used to charge them would still leave a substantial carbon footprint, thereby making the switch to EVs pointless without first de-carbonizing the grid. Recent academic research has debunked this argument, showing that in 95 percent of the world, electric vehicles produce less CO2 emissions than fossil fuel powered cars. The small exceptions are in countries which rely heavily on coal to produce electricity.

Governments around the world are incentivizing businesses to switch to electric fleets. For example, in the UK, electric vehicles are eligible for a 100 percent discount on charges in the London congestion zone. A vehicle entering the zone five days a week for 50 days a year would therefore save $4,400.

Electric vehicles also allow businesses to save money on maintenance and fuel costs. Until recently, these lower maintenance costs compensate for higher purchase prices. However, the cost of the vehicles themselves is constantly coming down. And, as more companies make the switch to electric, economies of scale and improvements in battery technology will drive the costs down even more.

Engineering challenges

Even when the environmental and business case for electric vehicles is strong, things are not always so simple in practice. That’s what Amazon found out when it first sought to electrify its fleets.

The company had begun by assuming that it simply needed to find a model already on the market that matched its requirements. What it found instead was that the existing vehicles did not meet is specific requirements or those that did were not produced on a large enough scale. The company therefore entered into a partnership with Rivian to help design its own vehicles and play a role in scaling up the market. Amazon ordered 100,000 vans from Rivian – the largest single purchase of electric trucks in history.

T he Amazon-Rivian partnership highlights the importance of design flexibility. Both vehicle manufacturers and their parts suppliers need to be able to adapt to the specific requirements of different delivery ecosystems. Many companies will trial a dozen or more alternative fuelled vehicles on a small scale before s witching permanently from diesel engines, so the ability to offer customizable designs and bespoke parts will help accelerate t he electrification transformation.