Matt Nolan’s Post

A new report detailing the biggest challenges the US will face when transitioning its heavy vehicle fleets to zero emissions has been released at the same time transport industry leaders are weighing in. It seems to all come down to dollars. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | Shelley Simpson | National Tank Truck Carriers | Ryan Streblow | Ryder System, Inc. | Robert Sanchez | American Trucking Associations | Chris Spear | American Truck Dealers | Laura Perrotta, CAE, PLC | NATSO | Lisa Mullings, CAE | #electrification #zeroemissions

We agree that electric trucks are here to stay! To ensure that charging infrastructure keeps pace with the increase of electric medium and heavy-duty trucks on the road, Revolv is helping our corporate customers design and construct charging infrastructure at their facilities, factories and depots, so fleet drivers don’t have to worry about when and where to charge their vehicles.   Read more about the future of electric trucks and why it’s critical to deploy charging infrastructure across the country from American Journal of Transportation’s Stuart Todd here: https://lnkd.in/gWQYJNuu  

#WestCoastCleanTransitCorridor here we come! "Oregon, California and Washington are getting a major boost from the federal government to advance the shipment of goods by zero-emission trucks on Interstate 5. The U.S. Department of Transportation is giving the three states $102 million to create a network of charging and fueling stations to power battery and hydrogen-fuel cell semi-trucks... Officials from Oregon, Washington and California transportation agencies pitched the idea of the West Coast zero-emission truck fueling corridor on I-5 to the U.S. Department of Transportation last year. They proposed to use federal money to build at least 34 medium and heavy-duty electric vehicle charging stations and five hydrogen fueling stations primarily along 1,400 miles of I-5 5 connecting highways to major freight hubs in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle." #StopBurningStuff https://lnkd.in/dCVVyKSJ

⚡ We’re forging ahead with nationwide EV truck charging plans, undeterred by political shifts. CEO Patrick Macdonald-King emphasizes, “As the industry continues to evolve, we remain confident that our mission to build a nationwide network of commercial EV charging requires a unified effort — one that transcends political divides,” Read more in this Trucking Dive article by Colin Campbell to see how we’re paving the way for zero-emission trucking. 🚚 #SustainableTransport #EVcharging #GreenlaneInfrastructure #CleanEnergy

As the world is transitioning to electric cars, so are trucks for the trucking industry. See how we are enabling trucking and logistics companies with long haul sustainable transportation.

Ready or not it's go ⚡ time! I-5! Electric Island's strung together creating a seamless interoperable network of stops for drivers to take a short break while BEVs sip electrons featuring Megawatt Charging System #MCS for a commercial charging experience. Louise Törnsten up for another road trip? Felix Hamer - would love to see your reporting on this when it goes live. Thank you Rustam Kocher, CharIN e.V., SAE International, Ted Bohn and all the contributors. Note 1: Even with private capital matching this is just a down payment for the scale needed so key will be to push the limits with this funding to show the way forward and allow 🦕 to 💤 in ☮️. Note 2: These sites don’t sprout up overnight so the sooner we get started the sooner we are able to pump large quantities of (clean) electrons. Smart developers already have their locations and utility requests in. Note 3: BEVs that are able to handle this duty cycle are just now coming to market. Today’s short list include Tesla Semi and Windrose Technology. Assurance infrastructure is on the way can help firm up orders / volume production and competition which will help drive down costs.

Shelley Simpson makes excellent points, and in addition to producing and sourcing electricity, there are several additional challenges to the path of electrification - battery technology for trucks, equipment costs, charger network, etc. And we are clearly not at the inflection point for this transition, in spite of all the wishful thinking. This doesn't mean that there's no electric future for the trucking industry, I think there are compelling use cases like yard tractors (to move trailers around in a yard/parking/intermodal settings. Also, I am heartened to see Hybrids back in discussion, as that would be the path of least resistance to electrify truck fleets. Just my 2 cents, great discussion Paul! FR8relay Deme Yuan Jordan Hopper

Some practical information about the implementation of electric trucks. Remember that 59 percent of United States electric power generation comes from fossil fuels.

Electrifying US long-haul trucks will require 504 TWh a year, but that won’t be the hardest part. The path forward is murkier, though, for long-haul trucking. Due to their low efficiency, high vehicle miles traveled, and large batteries, these vehicles require tremendous energy to complete interstate trips. Some simple back-of-the-envelope math illustrates the magnitude of this problem. Currently, 4 million Class 8 trucks drive, on average, 63,000 miles annually. While some regional trucks travel 30,000-40,000 miles yearly, other Class 8 tractors travel five times that amount. Based on their size, these vehicles would require roughly 2 kWhs for each mile driven—the current specs for Tesla’s Semi. Combining these figures results in long-haul trucks requiring 504 tWh annually in the U.S. (double California’s 2021 generation) if they were all electrified now.

Interesting report out of CALSTART released in late-February. Showcasing the inarguable growth of zero-emission vehicles in transit fleets and the opportunity for agencies in all sorts of climates and geographies to reduce emissions using fuel cell technology. The report is linked here (https://lnkd.in/epdzeN2Q) and a snippet from Dan Zukowski of Smart Cities Dive is below. "California, Delaware, Illinois and Nevada increased the number of fuel cell electric buses in their fleets. This technology uses hydrogen fuel cells to power electric motors and recharge the vehicle’s batteries, providing longer range and improved energy recovery. “It is anticipated that interest in FCEBs will continue to grow, particularly as transit fleets move away from pilot projects and toward full-scale replacement of their internal combustion engine fleets,” the Calstart report states." https://lnkd.in/eT5ZUzsQ