Alternative fuels and advanced green technologies were on show at the Association for the Work Truck Industry’s (NTEA) Green Truck Summit last month. The technology continues to evolve and more state agencies and private carriers are starting to warm up to them.
Speakers at the Green Truck Summit included fleet managers from Florida Power & Light and the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana. As government agencies and private fleets begin to adopt these new fuel methods, will advanced technologies pave the way for a new era in fuel efficiency?
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The Age of the Hybrid
Larry Campbell, fleet manager for Fort Wayne, has received the go ahead from the city’s elected officials to move their fleet away from complete reliance on traditional fossil fuels. While he’s still looking for gasoline-electric hybrids from major manufacturers, the city began a partnership in 2003 to develop their own “green” vehicles, and continue to pave their own way.
Working with two diesel-electric hybrid truck manufacturers, Campbell was able to utilize a new biodiesel blend that has allowed the city to cut 330,000 gallons of diesel from its balance sheet. The greenhouse gas reductions can be counted in the tens of thousands of tons.
The concept of a green truck has moved from the realm of science fiction to the reality of science fact. Today’s gasoline and natural gas powered electric hybrids deliver on increased fuel efficiency and lower emissions without compromising performance or safety.
Red Lights in a Green World
Although alternative fuels are gaining ground, there’s still some major roadblocks keeping these technologies from nationwide adoption. For natural gas powered vehicles, availability of fuel must be a careful consideration.
Obviously, you’re not going to get very far if there’s nowhere to get natural gas. While it’s not as hard to find as it used to be, the infrastructure necessary to support a nationwide network of natural gas burning vehicles is not yet in place.
Biodiesel has also had its fair share of problems. Early on, the solvent used to clean out the tanks of biofuel rigged trucks plugged the fuel filters. Managers for Florida Light & Power were finding that the regenerative battery function on their hybrid trucks was interfering with the brakes.
Data captured through telematics also revealed that the trucks in their fleet were idling extremely high. As the technology has matured, however, many of these early issues have been resolved.
Slow, But Steady Adoption
Many government agencies and private fleets are implementing a deliberately gradual timeframe for full adoption of alternative fuels. Over time, Fort Wayne has phased in three different varieties of biofuels, from B5 to B20, each staged to prevent adoption problems.
These biofuels are engineered to meet the strict regulations placed on traditional fuels. The American Society for Testing Materials provides a specification that biofuels should meet in order to be considered acceptable for most diesel trucks and off-road equipment.
Fort Wayne’s hybrid fleets save about 10 percent of fuel a year for the city. While that may not appear to be significantly higher, mostly because of the nature of urban truck-work, it still was enough to reduce fuel expenses by more than $2,700 a year.
Although diesel prices are down, many states have grant programs that incentivize companies and state agencies to modernize their fleets. These financial incentives helps to offset the cost of purchasing alternative fuel vehicles.
What’s the Business Case?
Even so, according to Claude Masters of Florida Power & Light “you’d think convincing electric utility executives to use electric vehicles would be a no-brainer,” she stated. “But that’s not the case. We had to put together a strong business case for them.”
What she really hopes will get people signed up is the considerable cache that comes with being a green player. “Don’t discount the considerable value in image,” she stated. Indeed, many companies proudly display their green cred through graphics and logos on the sides of their trucks.
How far governments and private fleets go in adopting these new technologies will continue to rely on how quickly the infrastructure can be developed. As more electric charging and natural gas stations pop up across the nation, manufacturers will feel a greater impetus to produce vehicles that they know fleets will buy.