Ian Rust’s Post

While progress has been made in electrifying cars and small trucks, the question as to how to electrify big rigs remains. Big rigs make up just 10% of the vehicles on the road, but they account for nearly 30% of carbon vehicle emissions. Electrifying big rigs is difficult due to high power demands and limited charging infrastructure. California-based startup Range Energy is tackling this challenge with electrified trailers, which use built-in batteries and motors to reduce the tractor's load and improve the truck's efficiency. This approach has the potential to cut carbon emissions and fuel costs significantly. Despite challenges related to infrastructure and cost, Range Energy's innovative approach has attracted $31.5 million in funding and has the potential to transform the freight industry. Check out this article to learn more about the challenges associated with electrifying big rigs and the work being done at Range Energy.

Hybrids come in many forms - and in vehicles they usually come like that from the manufacturer. But could you retrofit to extend the life of your truck? Could you decrease the fuel consumption of a fifth-wheel tractor heavy truck by making it a hybrid - without modifying it? Enter Revoy and an interlink trailer that incorporates a battery and electric drive (with the gains of regenerative breaking). Claims are that Revoy’s add-on improves fuel efficiency up to 20 to 35 mpg from 6 to 8 mpg, representing a 70% to 90% plus reduction in emissions. Revoy’s EV allows truckers to drive up to 235 miles on electric power using a 525 kilowatt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack, the company said. An 800 kWh long-range version will be coming out shortly. #hybrid #trucking https://lnkd.in/gyfV22QT

Reports Show Viability of Widespread Use of #BatteryElectricVehicles in Trucking Operations https://lnkd.in/gbAZC26U North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) #electricvehicles Tesla Mike Roeth #ElectricTruck #Electricvans #sustainability #greenmobility #EVRevolution #CleanMobility

📢 What’s Driving the Future of Electric Trucks? 🍃The shift to electric trucks is gathering momentum, with data from Geotab showing that 58% of heavy-duty trucks and 81% of medium-duty trucks already operate inter-regionally, which is within daily distances suitable for electrification. These figures demonstrate the immense potential for battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) to transform the commercial trucking landscape. The benefits go beyond environmental impact, with light-duty fleet electrification alone potentially preventing 2.2 billion gallons of fuel consumption and avoiding 19 million metric tons of CO2 emissions over the next seven years. Let alone driver’s who are reporting more job satisfaction, and less fatigue, after driving electric trucks, instead of noisy diesel ones. 🎙️In a recent interview, Mike Roeth, Executive Director of North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), highlighted how BEVs are already being deployed across a wide range of applications. He emphasized the need to match the right powertrain—whether BEVs, hydrogen, or renewable fuels—to the right use case, particularly as we navigate this "messy middle" phase of diverse technology solutions. Roeth also addressed a common misconception about BEVs: they don't always need a full charge to be effective. Opportunity charging is proving critical for keeping BEVs on the road without long downtime. 🚛 At 7Gen, we’re committed to helping fleets accelerate their zero-emission transitions with tailored solutions that simplify vehicle electrification, charging infrastructure, and fleet management. And we’re proud to be member’s of #GeotabSustainabilityAlliance. 🌱 Join us in driving sustainable solutions forward. Read more from Geotab’s future of EVs in trucking here: https://lnkd.in/ei-BJ_tg #EVs #Sustainability #FleetElectrification #ZeroEmissions #7Gen #ElectricTrucks #TransportationInnovation

Interesting article that discusses one of the biggest issues (other than cost) of getting BET tractors on the road. This is the same issue that I see (other than cost) of getting more EV passenger cars on the road. The infrastructure just isn't there yet.

The first fully electric Heavy Goods Vehicles (eHGVs) have been delivered under the #ElectricFreightwayProgramme The data from the vehicles, collected by #HitachiZeroCarbon, will include battery state of charge and health, vehicle load, geography and terrain, and weather and seasonal impacts. This data will provide operational and fact based insights, supporting large commercial fleets operators a safe and secure transition to #electrictrucks in the near future!

For century-old Mack Trucks, the 18-wheeled, bulldog-big rig future is still going to be EV: … last March. Virtually every automotive manufacturer — of cars and trucks, big and small … — produces a mix of fully electric models, plug-in hybrids … and gas-electric hybrids. Many OEMs have … #car #cars #awesome

"By 2030, even when excluding available consumer incentives, electric heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) will be less expensive than their diesel counterparts in four out of five categories analyzed." — Forbes The trucking industry is evolving faster than expected, and Velocity Truck Rental & Leasing is here to help you make the switch to electric. With our growing fleet of electric trucks, now is the time to drive the future of transportation while lowering costs and reducing emissions. Read the full Forbes article here: https://ow.ly/K0Ln50TRfW1

Did you know that Class 8 trucks can carry similar payload to gas powered trucks? Rick Mihelic shared some interesting industry insights during his presentation at the Pacific Gas and Electric Company webinar on Medium and Heavy Duty fleet electrification, including: 🛣 "We're in the messy middle" - there is no one size fits all. Prepare to see various solutions for different fleet operating use cases in the next 10-20 years 🚛 Duty cycle is very important - fleets that operate in urban or local delivery regions have different technology needs than fleets with long haul trips 🍃 Drivers love zero emission trucks - The vehicles are quiet, they can keep up with traffic because they have great acceleration, the driver doesn't smell like diesel at the end of their shift, drivers use their time better (there are no out-of-route fueling miles), and drivers are proud to be environmentally conscious 🥑 Produce Delivery Real world Example - OK Produce powered 17 Freightliner eCascadias with DC 180kW chargers, and 3 Orange EV tractors with 22kW AC chargers 🥤 Long Haul Real World Example - Pepsi in Sacramento operated 21 Tesla semi trucks powered with 750 kW chargers (long haul trips were 250 - 450 mi/day, city trips were less than 75 mi/day) #learninganddevelopment #electricvehicles #sustainability