Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improving Air Quality
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4.5 Electric Trucks
Progress with respect to electrification of truck transportation is behind that
of auto or bike transportation, but the efforts to electrify truck transportation
are happening and can easily make significant strides based on the work
done with cars and buses. There is a plan to include electric trucks in the
effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning to land transportation that has little or no carbon emissions as part of the response to the
Paris Agreement on Climate Change (Ambel, 2017).
The electrification of garbage trucks and a wide variety of urban delivery
trucks thus has good potential for rapid development (Earl et al., 2018; Taub,
2018). Electric trucks are especially competitive for stop- and- start applications
such as garbage routes, set delivery routes, or even on- call delivery systems
with known time windows (e.g. the human operator’s work hours). MAN,
Mercedes, Tesla, Renault, DAF, BYD, and Volvo all have plans to produce
and market electric trucks. BYD is selling heavy- duty electric trucks as of
2018, and Workhorse Group has manufactured electric delivery trucks for
UPS in the United States. In Europe, UPS is working with Arrival on electric
delivery vehicles that have a range of about 150 miles on a single charge.
Volvo, BYD, and Motive Power Systems have manufactured and delivered
electric garbage trucks.
Urban air quality is a very good reason to restrict ICE trucks, along with
their emissions, in cities. There is growing interest in improving air quality
by having such restrictions, but that creates a secondary problem of how
to get things delivered into and taken out of the city. The electrification of
vehicles that provide services within cities, given that they have modest
travel distances each day, is happening in many cities because the economics
are particularly attractive when air quality benefits are considered.
4.6 Summary
Electric vehicles will continue to develop longer ranges and become more
cost effective as a result of further technological developments in batteries
and other features of EVs. The goal of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions by 2050 can be reached if transportation is done through vehicles
that use electricity generated without carbon emissions. Although there are
many dimensions that need to be attended to regarding the transition to electric vehicles, it is expected that sales of electric vehicles will continue to grow,
new features that improve the quality of EVs will continue to expand the
number of users, and increasing prevalence of EVs will further accelerate
this transition.
48
48
4.5 Electric Trucks
Progress with respect to electrification of truck transportation is behind that
of auto or bike transportation, but the efforts to electrify truck transportation
are happening and can easily make significant strides based on the work
done with cars and buses. There is a plan to include electric trucks in the
effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning to land transportation that has little or no carbon emissions as part of the response to the
Paris Agreement on Climate Change (Ambel, 2017).
The electrification of garbage trucks and a wide variety of urban delivery
trucks thus has good potential for rapid development (Earl et al., 2018; Taub,
2018). Electric trucks are especially competitive for stop- and- start applications
such as garbage routes, set delivery routes, or even on- call delivery systems
with known time windows (e.g. the human operator’s work hours). MAN,
Mercedes, Tesla, Renault, DAF, BYD, and Volvo all have plans to produce
and market electric trucks. BYD is selling heavy- duty electric trucks as of
2018, and Workhorse Group has manufactured electric delivery trucks for
UPS in the United States. In Europe, UPS is working with Arrival on electric
delivery vehicles that have a range of about 150 miles on a single charge.
Volvo, BYD, and Motive Power Systems have manufactured and delivered
electric garbage trucks.
Urban air quality is a very good reason to restrict ICE trucks, along with
their emissions, in cities. There is growing interest in improving air quality
by having such restrictions, but that creates a secondary problem of how
to get things delivered into and taken out of the city. The electrification of
vehicles that provide services within cities, given that they have modest
travel distances each day, is happening in many cities because the economics
are particularly attractive when air quality benefits are considered.
4.6 Summary
Electric vehicles will continue to develop longer ranges and become more
cost effective as a result of further technological developments in batteries
and other features of EVs. The goal of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions by 2050 can be reached if transportation is done through vehicles
that use electricity generated without carbon emissions. Although there are
many dimensions that need to be attended to regarding the transition to electric vehicles, it is expected that sales of electric vehicles will continue to grow,
new features that improve the quality of EVs will continue to expand the
number of users, and increasing prevalence of EVs will further accelerate
this transition.