We’ve come a long way when it comes to improving the miles per gallon (mpg) of today’s diesel trucks. It was not that long ago that the national average mpg was 5.2 and now it is 6.9. The average fuel economy of fleets that participated in our Fleet Fuel Study has increased by 16% in the past 10 years to 7.8 mpg. However, we are routinely seeing fleets exceed that number, regularly achieving double-digit miles per gallon.
As we shift away from a time when nearly 100% of the nation’s fleet is diesel to today, where alternative fuels like compressed natural gas, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles are being deployed, we may want to continue or, in some cases, shift the focus to improving freight efficiency.
Freight efficiency encompasses a variety of things, including optimizing routing, reducing empty miles, increasing the freight on each trailer, and reducing the number of trailers that go out less than fully loaded. All these things will improve the efficiency of a truck regardless of the type of powertrain installed.
But manufacturers of some of the other alternative powertrains have additional work to do to improve the efficiency of their trucks. We are seeing range improvements with battery electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell-powered trucks. In Run on Less – Messy Middle, one BEV completed 465 miles on a single charge, and a hydrogen fuel cell truck achieved 7.8 miles per kg of hydrogen. But there is still work to be done on improving range, which improves efficiency.
Fleets running on natural gas should focus on improving efficiency, and one way to do that is to invest in some of the same efficiency-enhancing devices used by fleets operating on diesel. Consider spec’ing aerodynamic products, low rolling resistance tires, and idle reduction technologies, but also focus on training drivers to operate with efficiency in mind.
We’ve made significant progress in making trucks go farther on a gallon of diesel. Let’s put that same effort into improving the efficiency of all the trucks on the road today, regardless of powertrain. We can do it.
