By Rushil Goel, vice president of product, Samsara
In recent years, an increased amount of organizations have prioritized environmental sustainability, particularly through the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). But what does this rise in EV adoption mean for the trucking industry? While they can certainly impact an organization’s bottom line, and a growing number of EVs have become available for commercial applications, it’s a new frontier for many fleet managers to navigate.
Here is some advice for some of the most asked frequently asked questions:
Q: What factors do you think have led to this recent wave of EV adoption, both for consumers and commercial environments?
A: According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, seven countries are responsible for nearly two-thirds of all greenhouse gas emissions. The United States and the European Union (EU) together emitted nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2017, along with other top emitters such as China, Russia, India, Japan,and Brazil.
In 2016, the transportation sector became the primary source of greenhouse gas emission s in the United States, with almost a quarter of transportation-related emissions coming from trucks used for freight transportation.
EVs, which are now available for commercial applications, can help reduce these emissions. Electrification — the process of incorporating EVs into your fleet—can help fleets achieve sustainability goals and lower their total cost of ownership. Additionally, EV adoption is gaining popularity as cities across the globe begin to outlaw internal combustion engines (ICE) within their borders. Central London, for instance, launched an ultra-low emission zone in 2019, whereby vehicles that don’t meet the newer, more stringent emissions requirements must pay a fee to operate in that area.
Q: What would you say are the main ways fleets could benefit from adoption EVs?
A: As the upfront cost of EVs falls, you might be considering adding electric vehicles to your fleet. There are a variety of benefits, first and foremost being that you can lower your total cost of ownership (TCO). According to the Department of Energy, it costs less than half to travel the same distance in an EV as it does in a conventional vehicle. Not only is electricity generally cheaper than fuel, EVs are also more efficient than their gasoline-powered counterparts. Additionally, EVs don't require the regularly scheduled maintenance or state emission checks that ICE vehicles often do in order to run reliably.
Fewer scheduled maintenance stops and less upkeep can help reduce the TCO of each vehicle, and will also mean less downtime for drivers. Interestingly, incorporating electric trucks and service vehicles with quiet and emission-free engines can improve driver quality of life by reducing the amount of noise pollution drivers are subjected to while working long shifts. They can also make your fleet more efficient by enabling a shift in driving hours. For example, many cities prohibit nighttime and early morning deliveries so as not to disturb residents’ sleep. But with quieter EVs, driving at night or early in the morning can help avoid traffic delays and increase efficiency across the board.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges fleets will face as they begin adopting EVs?
A: While EV fleets can bring many benefits, there are significant challenges any fleet adopting EVs would need to overcome. First, there’s what I like to call charge anxiety - the fear of not having sufficient battery life to complete a round-trip and not being able to find a charging station in time. This is one of the biggest challenges EV fleets would face given the amount of miles being traveled each day. Even if you could find an electric truck with a battery that could last more than 300 miles, it would also require a shift in driver behavior. Those who aren’t accustomed to these kinds of cars could doubt their ability, or forget to stop and charge in time.
There’s also the fact that EVs can take more than eight hours to fully charge — a lot longer than the few minutes it takes to fill up a gas tank. Battery health is another top challenge for fleets who may be adopting EVs. According to research from Deloitte, continued fast charging can reduce the total capacity of an EV battery, which might affect the overall range of the vehicle over time. Battery degradation in EVs can be caused by multiple factors, including overcharging (regularly charging your battery up to 100%), deep discharging (running your EV battery down to zero charge), and operating and storing your EV in high temperatures.
Lastly, batteries on electric vehicles prefer a limited temperature range of 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal performance. When the temperature falls below approximately 40 degrees, the electrolyte fluid inside the battery cells thickens and slows down. Preparing for cold weather can be particularly challenging for fleets that need to operate year-round and travel long distances.
Q: How can technology combat some of these challenges?
A: A telematics system that’s built to support electric vehicles can help fleets combat these challenges. In addition to the traditional fleet management features these can offer, there are a handful of new metrics you will want to consider with an electric fleet. For example, real-time access to data points such as state of charge, how far the nearest charging station is, or even an integrated look at which drivers within your fleet have the remaining HOS to make it to a charging station and then back to their destination.
I believe fleets will need this kind of advanced technology that allows them to plan routes with the optimal charging times and locations to maintain seamless delivery operations and logistics. As we get closer to the reality of electric fleets, the transportation industry will need to consider tough challenges and weigh them against benefits such as cost savings and environmental impact. Ultimately, I see tons of opportunity, as long as fleets adopt a comprehensive solution that allows them to effectively manage the challenges that EVs might present.
Rushil Goel leads Product Management at Samsara, and is responsible for product vision and strategy for its connected fleets platform. In his role, Goel leverages years of experience bringing disruptive technology products to market.
