Two new reports show viability of widespread use of battery electric vehicles in trucking operations

Data analyses from tracking 22 trucks — including three Tesla Semis — show that battery electric vehicles are suited for widespread use in freight hauling today.

FORT WAYNE, Ind., July 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) seem to be having a polarizing effect on people. They are either for them or against them and that is true even in the commercial vehicle market. It can be difficult to determine if BEVs make sense because there is a great deal of misinformation about what they can and cannot do.

In an attempt to provide some clarity to the situation, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) conducted Run on Less – Electric DEPOT, a three-week demonstration of BEVs in the real world.

During the Run, NACFE tracked the activity of 22 electric trucks — including three Tesla Semis — but also looked at total depot electric energy and fuel for all the trucks per day and what that would mean in total electrical energy if all trucks at the depot were converted to electric vehicles.

“This recent Run on Less event and Run on Less – Electric, which we conducted in 2021, along with our ongoing research shows that battery electric trucks are a viable option for some fleets today,” says Mike Roeth, NACFE’s executive director. “While BEVs make sense in some applications, there are some challenges to wide scale deployment and the industry is working on improving their total cost of ownership.”

Since the conclusion of the Run in September 2023, NACFE has published two reports. Electric Truck Depots Are Evolving: How 10 Fleets Grew Their EV Populations gives an inside view of what it took for 10 fleets to grow the number of BEVs in their daily operations. Run on Less – Electric DEPOT: Scaling BEVs in the Real World provides an in-depth analysis of the data collected during the three weeks the trucks were tracked.

“I am certain there is a lot of information in these two reports and the other work we do that will help trucking fleets in their efforts to decarbonize the movement of goods in North America,” Roeth adds.

Initial conclusions cited in the first report are:

Small depots are ready for electrification now.Large depots are possible and gaining momentum.There have been big technology and production improvements since Run on Less – Electric in 2021.The trucking industry needs cost and weight reductions to improve TCO.Range can be extended with multiple charging events during a shift or en route.BEVs are empowering diversity and inclusion, and energizing initiative and passion.Powering up infrastructure is taking too long, but portable/temporary charging is helping.

After further analysis of the data, NACFE came to four additional conclusions.

Electric vans, trucks and heavy-duty tractors are on the road today and are performing well in many duty cycles. Despite challenges, many fleets are deploying BEVs at scale in their operations. This list includes not only the 10 fleets that participated in Run on Less – Electric DEPOT but also companies like Amazon, NFI and IKEA.Infrastructure, both at the depots and strategically placed along freight corridors, is needed now. One stumbling block to depot electrification is the need for a wider charging network. The place to begin is at or between depots along a freight corridor.Heavy-duty tractor OEMs should make cost and weight improvements a priority. It is still difficult for many fleets to make the TCO case for BEVs based solely on hard costs, but factoring things like driver satisfaction and achieving sustainability goals can result in a better TCO case.More reliable data on all key performance metrics is needed. There is a need for better quality performance data on BEV operations — not measured solely on the vehicle, but also measured at the charger, at the depot and from a utility perspective. It takes a joint effort from a variety of sources to electrify a depot and each of these participants requires their own type of data for different reasons.

“These additional findings are things that everyone involved in the move to decarbonize freight movement can be working on,” says Rick Mihelic, NACFE’s director of emerging technologies and lead author of the report. “We have built up quite a bit of data that demonstrates that BEVs are working in a wide variety of transportation applications, but we are aware that there are still issues that need to be addressed. Collaboratively and collectively, we can address the changes and improve the TCO case for BEVs for more fleets.”

The Run featured a variety of trucks covering a full range of duty cycles at featured fleets including Frito-Lay, OK Produce, Penske, PepsiCo, Performance Team, Purolator, Schneider, UPS, US Foods and WattEV.

Download the reports. For more information on Run on Less – Electric DEPOT visit the Run on Less website. Watch a video about the Run.

Click here for images to accompany this announcement.

Media Inquiries Please Contact:
Denise Rondini, 773-951-8563, [email protected]

ABOUT CALIFORNIA CLIMATE INVESTMENTS: Some of the fleets participating in Run on Less – Electric DEPOT are part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities.

ABOUT RUN ON LESS: Run on Less is a biennial demonstration showcasing advancements in freight efficiency. The event takes place over the course of three weeks and has fleets across North America moving freight in their normal operations to show how it is possible to operate efficiently with today’s technologies. Each truck in the Run is outfitted with a telematics device allowing NACFE to track key metrics. The first Run took place in 2017 and featured seven fleets that averaged 10 MPG over in long haul routes over the course of the Run. Run on Less Regional, held in 2019, featured 10 fleets that averaged 8.4 miles in regional haul routes during the Run. Run on Less – Electric, held in 2021 featured 13 trucks operating electric vehicles on real routes carrying real freight. Run on Less – Electric DEPOT featured 10 fleets with 15 or more electric trucks at a depot. Visit www.runonless.com.

ABOUT NACFE: The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) works to drive the development and adoption of efficiency enhancing, environmentally beneficial, and cost-effective technologies, services, and operational practices in the movement of goods across North America. NACFE provides independent, unbiased research, including Confidence Reports on available technologies and Guidance Reports on emerging ones, which highlight the benefits and consequences of each, and deliver decision-making tools for fleets, manufacturers, and others. NACFE partners with RMI on a variety of projects including the Run on Less demonstration series, electric trucks, emissions reductions, and low-carbon supply chains. Visit NACFE.org or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter: @NACFE_Freight

ABOUT RMI: RMI is an independent nonprofit founded in 1982 that transforms global energy systems through market-driven solutions to align with a 1.5°C future and secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all. We work in the world’s most critical geographies and engage businesses, policymakers, communities, and NGOs to identify and scale energy system interventions that will cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 50 percent by 2030. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Oakland, California; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing. More information on RMI can be found at www.rmi.org or follow them on Twitter @RockyMtnInst.

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SOURCE North American Council for Freight Efficiency