ENGINES & EMISSIONS
Overcoming Electric Vehicle ADOPTION BARRIERS
How OEMs can help fleets be safer, cleaner and more efficient by encouraging the move to EVs by Greg Colvin, Zonar
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ince its invention more than a century ago, the internal combustion engine (ICE) has been responsible for powering the majority of the world’s 1.466 billion (and counting) vehicles. It also has fundamentally remained the same. While automakers and manufacturers have learned to refine the ICE, their innovations have been applied elsewhere—improving safety; streamlining operations and efficiency; and, more recently, reducing fuel consumption and limiting climate impact. A renewed global focus on the environment, several commendable but failed attempts (such as the rotary engine), and modern technologies have brought about the next true automotive evolution nearly one-hundred years later: the electric vehicle (EV). According to the Alternative Fuels
Data Center from the Department of Energy, the average EV emits 3,774 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent per year—a 67% reduction from the 11,435 pounds of CO2-equivalent from a gasoline-powered vehicle emits. And it is a more drastic reduction from the 223 tons (491,631 pounds) of CO2 produced by diesel vehicles. Reducing fuel consumption and emissions is critical for smart fleet management. Additionally, studies prove that EVs are safer than traditional gasoline or diesel engines because lithium-ion batteries pose less of a risk of fire or explosion. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also showed that crashes involving EVs resulted in less chance of injury. President Biden set an ambitious goal for half of new car sales to be electric, fuel-cell or hybrid EVs by 2030. Consumer transition to EVs is on a fast track. However, despite government mandates to lower vehicle emissions overall, fleets are still slow to adopt without proof of financial benefits and improved safety and operational efficiencies
Software can connect GPS, electronic logging devices and predictive maintenance technology with transportation management systems to provide insights for drivers and dispatchers.
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OEM Off-Highway | JULY/AUGUST 2022
The Reality of EV Costs A major barrier to EV adoption is overhead costs. From an infrastructure perspective, EV charging stations can cost about $1 million to install. On the fleet side, on average, early model EV school buses are two to three times more than the cost of a diesel bus. However, government funding is available through the annual Bus and Bus Facilities Grant and Discretionary Grant Program for Charging and Fueling Infrastructure. This money supports states and transit organizations that want to invest in new or rehabilitated transit equipment and infrastructure, including EV charging. The Biden Administration also announced private U.S. investments that will help develop the nation’s EV charging network. With low-cost overnight charging, reduced cost and downtime for maintenance, and overall savings on energy costs, EVs will have lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than a typical diesel vehicle. McKinsey estimates that by 2030, electric fleets will have a 15% to 25% lower TCO than ICE vehicles.
Infrastructure Needs Another concern is the relative lack of EV charging infrastructure. In some cities, charging stations are available at grocery store lots, but in others, options are more limited. While government is focused on investment in charging infrastructure with the previously mentioned funds, diesel trucks already struggle to find truck parking spots en route let alone EV charging stations. In fact, 2021 marked the tenth year in a row
