Electricity Is in the Air
This story appears in the May 15 print edition of Equipment & Maintenance Update, a supplement to Transport Topics.
Electric commercial trucks have generated a lot of buzz in recent months, particularly, it seems, since the unveiling last December in Salt Lake City of the upcoming Nikola One, a Class 8 for longhaul use developed by startup Nikola Motor Co.
Fran LysiakThe truck, due in production around 2020, will use electric storage and drive motors with over-the-highway use enabled by a range-extending hydrogen fuel cell generating lithium-ion stored electricity, contributing writer Steve Sturgess reports in one of the cover stories in this issue of Equipment & Maintenance Update.
This publication thought the time was right to take an in-depth look at the race by some companies toward so-called zero-emissions freight transportation. This, even though it will take several years — close to 10 — before electric trucks in linehaul service are commonplace on U.S. interstate highways, despite the efforts of companies developing fuel-cell and plug-in electric trucks, columnist Phil Romba writes in this issue.
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The industry also has seen several other recent developments.
In mid-April, as this issue was nearing production, more news broke on electric trucks: Elon Musk, CEO of electric carmaker Tesla Inc., said the company plans to unveil an electric semi-truck in September (see story, p. A9). Soon after, Bloomberg News reported that Toyota Motor Corp. will start a feasibility study with its Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell truck at the Port of Los Angeles this summer (see story, p. A9). Toyota is to start testing the prototype in short-distance fleets that go back and forth between the city’s docks and nearby retailer warehouses, according to the report. The Japanese automaker developed the powertrain for the semi-truck, which was built by Paccar Inc., Bob Carter, president of Toyota’s U.S. sales unit, told Bloomberg Television in mid-April. “Who knows what it will lead to, perhaps longhaul capability,” he said in prepared remarks at the port.
Indeed, the use of electric trucks today is limited mostly to niche specialty and shorthaul operations, contributing writer Mindy Long reports (see story, p. A4).
For example, the fully electric, battery-powered Fuso eCanter Class 4 medium-duty cabover truck will launch this fall in Europe, the United States and Japan, Long reports. The truck produces no tailpipe emissions and operates with nearly zero noise, said Jecka Glasman, CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America. “In urban environments, where air pollution and idling noise both present problems for the residents, the Fuso eCanter can have a significant impact on quality of life,” Glasman said, adding that testing has shown that the vehicle can operate at a lower overall cost than its diesel counterpart.
At the IAA commercial vehicle show in Hanover, Germany, last September, Daimler Trucks rolled out its Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck, available later this year in a limited run of 20 trucks for different customers, Sturgess also reports. “We are currently talking to around 20 potential customers from the disposal, foodstuffs and logistics sector,” Stefan Buchner, head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks worldwide, said in a statement after IAA.
Electric powertrain manufacturer Wrightspeed has focused on the refuse truck market, while Orange EV offers pure electric terminal trucks.
When it comes to Class 8 trucks, the challenge of a battery-electric vehicle for longhaul is the battery weight and charging requirements, Long reports in the other cover story.
Romba also notes that one of the greatest challenges of any alternative fuel source for Class 8 and other commercial trucks is the huge investments needed in the fueling infrastructure.
Amid all the hubbub, though, many predict that diesel will continue to play a prominent role in powering the truck of the future, Long reports. Clean diesel technology continues to improve, said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. “Falling diesel prices could negatively affect adoption of electrics, just as natural gas-powered trucks slowed in 2015 and 2016,” Romba writes.
In the meantime, Nikola CEO Trevor Milton told Long, “We will have a major announcement in July.”
Stay tuned.
