The Wall Street Journal recently waded into California’s zero-emissions mandate, triggered by the new calendar year. With a day-in-the-life opinion piece focused on IMC truck driver Ariel Ramos, the opinion piece didn’t exactly show the same reverence environmentalists and Golden State politicians have for their newly imposed policies.
Any new semi-trucks added to a fleet must now be battery-electric or hydrogen-powered to operate in California. As the Wall Street Journal framed the debate of cleaner air versus another potential bout of inflation: “Electric trucks are supposed to save the world, but they’re wasting Mike Stanley’s time.”
The Journal lays out facts that have proven troubling for freight haulers doing business on the West Coast. California does not appear to have an adequate number of charging stations to support its Jan. 1. 2024, mandate. Truckers who continue to operate at some of the country’s largest ports are expected to add upwards of 10-15 hours per week of downtime at charging stations.
“Mr. Ramos left IMC at 5:30 a.m. He drove 9 miles south to a charging station near the Port of Long Beach, where he remained for an hour, charging the battery from 54 percent to 90 percent. He then made his first haul, picking up a container and delivering it to a customer,” Sierra Dawn McClain states in the piece. “A second haul started around noon — and that was it for the day.”
A diesel rig travels upwards of 1,000 miles on one tank. The BEV would need to make nine recharging stops of 90 minutes each to make the same journey. McClain notes that a diesel truck can refuel in about 15 minutes. A diesel semi would not need to refuel even once, given the limited number of miles traveled during the ride-along.
During one of Ramos’ charging stops, it took 95 minutes to power the big rig from 25 percent to 93 percent. The point is that these 90-minute stops cannot fully recharge a battery at zero. Out of concern that the BEV would run out of power, Ramos also traveled 33 miles off-route to the nearest charging facility. McClain pointed out that Ramos traveled 248 miles for the entire day, less than half of the average OTR driver.
“Accounting for higher labor costs and inefficiencies, IMC had lost $310 by operating the electric semi instead of a diesel truck. To break even rather than take the loss, IMC tacked a surcharge onto the delivery. California’s consumers will ultimately pay for that,” McClain states.
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