COVID-19 did something that few other things can do: It brought the transportation sector, both passenger and commercial, to a virtual standstill. And what was one of the first things people noticed across the globe? Skylines. Mountain ranges. Suddenly, people could see things through the shroud of smog that usually hangs across cities everywhere. Even NASA’s view from space was clearer. How is that for an unintended impact to shutting down the global economy?
In some places, particulate emissions from motor vehicles were down 60%. Still, despite a drop in passenger traffic, however, many localities saw a container drop of only 20% – 25%. Heavy-duty diesel trucks continued to spew NOx emissions and other particulate matter at a smaller rate, but perhaps not small enough.
Few good things have come from this pandemic. Indeed, it has been a disaster on the world, but things are changing as a result. One example is the electrification of trucking. Zero-emissions technologies were already becoming more ubiquitous, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated that process. When it comes to renewable technologies, it appears the pandemic has been a boon for business.
Trucking Companies Make Electric Plans
Battery-electric suppliers have gotten creative in how they continue to support electrification during the pandemic. OEM engineers are designing components from their kitchen table and collaboration happens over a Zoom room. Companies are charging ahead with their sustainability goals.
Big trucking companies like J.B. Hunt have been hard at work stocking up on Freightliner eCascadia models for their intermodal service. Big operators are learning from the lessons gained when they were deploying natural gas vehicles. Many trucking companies simply did not have the necessary infrastructure in place to support complete electrification.
Many trucking companies embarked on a natural gas journey thinking there may be a wealth of natural gas stations all over the country only to find that many were built exclusively for cars or took far too long to fill up the vehicle, making it less-than-economical. Many trucking companies were turned off on alternative fuel options for this reason. There simply needs to be the infrastructure to support adopting these new technologies.
Companies simply cannot bring trucks with new technologies to market without an ecosystem wrapped around them. From those building the trucks to those using them, all players involved must work proactively with government agencies, utility companies, suppliers, and brokers on implementation. OEMs cannot be simple bystanders in this situation.
That’s why companies like J.B. Hunt rely on their OEM partners to figure out how to best implement a new technology. Many trucking companies are focused on performance. Diesel has become more efficient and may offer some performance benefits. Indeed, alternative-fuel vehicles have a high bar to get over if more companies are to make the switch. If diesel prices fall, the problem becomes even more acute. Both the federal and state governments must continue to support incentives for battery-electric trucks. The price is simply still too high for many operators.
Just walk into a dealership or get a quote on an electric rig and you will find a price that is three to four times higher than the average price of a diesel variant. Many trucking companies, especially small owner-operators, have a hard time justifying the greater expense. Fleets obviously want to be sustainable, but part of sustainability is being able to sustain your business. If you go out of business, it really doesn’t matter whether your fleet is electrified or not.
OEMs Charge Ahead
Volvo Trucks North America has plowed ahead with electrification despite moves in the broader global market. Still, obstacles remain. Trucking companies still must deal with a lack of charging infrastructure, among other problems. Developing the required infrastructure to support electrification remains a huge hurdle.
Daimler is another trucking OEM that has been making big moves in the electric-truck space. Fortunately for the company, the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a big impact on medium- or heavy-duty battery-electric trucks. Although there were some slowdowns during the pandemic, Daimler is now back to building trucks at the same volume as before the pandemic hit.
Much of the volume Daimler has been moving is replacement volume for trucking companies. This goes back to 2015, when truck sales were strong. Now fleets are working on trading in those trucks for newer 2020 variants. Dedicated fleets are now replacing their vehicles at the 450,000 – 500,000-mile mark instead of keeping them for a million miles and beyond.
With many OEMs well into taking 2021 orders, they have not seen a huge drop in orders or revenue they expected at this point in the COVID-19 pandemic cycle. This had led to some supply chain problems when it comes to sourcing parts and components, but for the most part there haven’t been any major shortages causing insurmountable pain or OEMs.
The fact is trucking companies are not standing still. Many are well into their electrification game plan. If anything, events of late have only accelerated that process. How so? Consider that 15 states and the District of Columbia signed a memorandum of understanding in July regarding the deployment of electric trucks and buses.
Bus companies are also getting in on the electric action. Thomas Built Buses has already begun production on their Jouley electric school bus. Dominion Energy looks to use the buses to store wind and solar energy during the summer months when school is out. This represents a novel innovation in the use of electric trucks and buses.
Electric Fleets Log Lots of Miles
Freightliner – which is owned by Daimler – recently announced that their innovation fleet has racked up more than 300,000 miles in real-world use by their customers. The fleet is composed of 30 vehicles used by actual trucking companies. Daimler has been accumulating data on the fleet since 2018 when it was deployed to select customers.
Many electric truck OEMs are partnering with the trucking companies that buy their products to get a better pulse of what those trucking companies needs. Fleets aren’t going to make a big electric truck investment simply because of a PowerPoint presentation or a fancy rendering. OEMs need to know the pain points truck drivers deal with.
One such example is settings a trucker might use when they are operating the vehicle in mountain ranges or hilly areas. When it comes to a diesel engine’s engine braking capability, do truck drivers do the same thing with electric trucks? Perhaps there are specific settings they should employ to emulate this capability? Or maybe they should just drive normally. These are the questions that need to be answered.
It may be a long and drawn-out process, but it is necessary as OEMs figure out how to best assist their customers and develop electric big rigs they actually want to buy and use. When OEMs and trucking companies partner in these developments, everyone benefits.
Another area that has seen big movement is in the vocational realm. Vocational and utility trucks are tailor-made for electrification. There is a lot of interest from utility companies and other operators who could get a lot out of medium-duty electric trucks. Not everyone needs a battery-powered big rig, after all.
Charging Infrastructure Takes Shape
Although OEMs and trucking companies are working with public utilities and local municipalities on charging infrastructure, we still have a ways to go before we reach the level of saturation we have now with gas and diesel fueling stations. It is well known that charging infrastructure lags the development of the vehicles that will be using it.
Many are looking at what is called “depot charging.” This is a concept where charging stations are installed at fleet locations. Trucks would come home to charge. Electric truck OEMs work with their customers to install these charging stations at their home office.
Many trucking operators are still nervous to rely on public charging infrastructure. This is especially true for fleets that operate irregular routes. It is already hard enough to find decent charging stations on well-known roads and highways. For those going over windy mountain passes, what happens when they use too much charge and come down the other side only to find no charging stations?
Trucking companies, OEMs, industry advocates, and other partners must work together to ensure that the infrastructure and equipment is at-the-ready before we can expect full industry-wide deployment of electric vehicles. Still, the wind is at the back of electrification. Expect to see a lot more of it was we move deeper into the 21st century.