Although few freight hauling organizations currently have Class 8 EV vehicles in their ranks, growth is expected on the heels of hot-trending passenger vehicles in the coming year.
The pandemic, supply chain hiccups, and other factors have resulted in truck manufacturers not necessarily producing enough semis to meet demand. One of the primary issues has been a global semiconductor shortage due to plants closing during Covid outbreaks.
Freight analysis firm FTR anticipates a manufacturing rebound during 2022 and 2023 to upwards of 360,000 shipments. Significant EV gains are expected as well. According to reports, nearly every major Class 8 manufacturer now has an EV semi in the mix.
“We offer support programs to field staff and our customers when it comes to identifying if electromobility is right for their operations and applications,” a Volvo Trucks North America spokesperson reportedly said. “We’re informed about the latest state and federal incentive programs that might be in the customer’s operating area. We’re just getting started with putting trucks in fleets. So, we’re closely monitoring the performance of these vehicles in service and following up closely with the customers running them.”
Daimler Trucks North America reportedly rolled out Freightliner battery-electric trucks, and they have more than 1 million miles on the road.
“With the battery-electric Freightliner eCascadias and eM2s in the hands of almost 50 customers, we have experience with electric trucks performing real work in real fleets,” a Freightliner spokesperson reportedly said.
Wide-reaching factors appear to be accelerating the EV semi-truck transition. These include states such as California implementing more stringent smog testing and emissions standards. The federal government also passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending package that provides for charging stations and other incentives. The infrastructure rollout is expected to invest upward of $5 billion in EV charging stations around the country.
“The United States is at an inflection point in the development of the electric vehicle industry. The National Electric Vehicle Formula Program1 included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) represents a transformational opportunity to invest $5 billion in charging infrastructure needed by the growing fleet of battery electric vehicles (BEVs),” a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation from 11 passenger vehicle and Class 8 truck makers reportedly states.
Adding charging stations will likely lend substantial support to fleets integrating them. Heading into 2022, there are upwards of 50,000 functioning EV charging stations. The USDOT has a reported target goal of 500,000.
That being said, Tesla reportedly has produced a limited number of semis at its Gigafactory 1. The household name brand in EVs is waiting for 4680 format batteries to come off assembly lines before cranking up deliveries by the end of 2022, with mass production set for 2023.
Sources: autonews.com, truckinginfo.com
Electric trucks are going to be nothing but trouble. Who is going to fix these ‘technological marvels’ when they break down? Joe’s truck service, the local mobile repair company? Not likely. Even the dealers won’t be able to figure out the problems. There’s already too much technology in today’s newer trucks. Plenty of charging stations for them? Nope. Stuck in North Dakota for days on end? How long is that battery going to last as it struggles to keep the driver from freezing to death? I’m sorry, but I guess I’m just “old school” on this battery-operated stuff. I scoff at all the so-called electric cars as well. We don’t have the power infrastructure to handle everyday life in many cities and towns, and that’s not counting electric vehicles. Look at Texas last year. Also, we don’t have sufficient ‘dumping ground’ for the used batteries that cannot be recycled. Wind, solar, and electric vehicles are NOT the future of our country. Not the REAL future anyway. The next power source has not been invented (or brought public anyway) yet. This is all stop-gap stuff, like those stupid CFL bulbs the fed ‘mandated’ a while back. Can you even find those in the store anymore?
We already know the critical shortcomings of these vehicles. There are lots of them that we can assure have not been addressed simply because these issues have not been addressed,still.
Elon Musk rolls out his EV Class 8 in an extravagant public display but steered clear that his EV big trucks,depending on model,had range of 300-500 miles,in perfect conditions. Don’t have to be Albert Einstein to immediately see the disaster that is. Half hour to charge these things. More time lost. Where is all the charging apparatus going to be mounted? In the truck stop parking lots? That’s a good one. They will be getting mowed down by steering wheel holders all day long.Who are the service people upkeeping this apparatus spread out all over the place like that.
Anyways,intercity local service is the only application of the industry where these power units will be useful,if at all. The corporate construct getting mountains of public funds pursuing this tech have fallen very short,so far,considering the length of time they have been funneled this enormous pot of public funds to get this program up and running,practically and efficiently. Doesn’t appear that is going to come anytime soon,either.