“Commercial electric vehicles aren’t coming, they’re here,” so said my colleague Joe Puff, VP of truck technology and maintenance. Puff was speaking at a recent NationaLease meeting and reminded the audience that many fleets are already testing EVs in various applications.
There are many good things about EVs, including the fact that they operate on clean power, have low vibration and noise levels, and fewer moving parts. On the negative side, they are heavier, cost more, and rely on a charging infrastructure that still needs to be developed.
Today, studies show that the EV population is small representing less than 1% of the total commercial vehicles on the road in the U.S. and Canada. But projections are that by 2027, EVs will grow to 22% of the market and will reach 40% of the market by 2035. At that point they will grow at 3% per year until 2040.
See also: Electrification at a 'tipping point' as fleets explore adoption
The fastest-growing segments for EVs are Classes 4 to 6 trucks and terminal tractors. That makes sense because EVs work best in dedicated routes where the vehicles return home daily to facilities that have charging capabilities. Sleeper and high-mileage applications will be slower to adopt EVs because of battery range and infrastructure issues.
When determining if EVs are right for your operation you need to consider mileage, payload, and duty cycle, but also factor in weather, terrain, route design, drive time vs. dwell time, battery size vs. payload, charger investment, electricity cost, acquisition cost, and incentives.
Perhaps the single biggest obstacle to widescale deployment of EVs is infrastructure. The analysis needed prior to implementing a charging solution can take 1.5 years when you consider things like easements, and working with landlords, city councils, and state regulators. When considering EVs, it is good practice to engage with your local utility early to make sure there is enough power at your site for charging. And make sure you understand the cost of power and demand charges.
See also: Speak up about charging infrastructure
According to Puff, there also are technician and shop implications to adding EVs. This includes having the proper safety equipment—arc flash shields, electrical safety gloves, dielectric boots and shoes, special insulated tools, etc. Procedures also have to be put in place to cover decommissioning an EV prior to beginning to work on it and technicians will need to be trained in proper EV servicing.
While the reality is that diesel-powered vehicles will be on the road for years to come, we are also seeing more investments being made in EVs with both existing truck makers and new technology companies getting ready to move from pre-production models to series production in the next year.
Puff is right. EVs are here today, so we all need to start getting comfortable with them and determining how they best fit into our operations.
Jane Clark focuses on managing the member services operation at NationaLease as vice president of member services. She works to strengthen member relationships, reduce member costs, and improve collaboration within the NationaLease supporting groups.
