A new report has highlighted several factors to consider when planning charging infrastructure – often seen as the most challenging aspect of the EV transition. The report included a 10-step plan to implement infrastructure and charge vehicles reliably and cost-effectively.
According to the report of North American Freight Efficiency CouncilFleets considering EV deployment “need a basic understanding of electricity and how utilities work to estimate charging costs, easily install chargers and see the fuel savings that result from using electricity instead of diesel for the vehicle driving trucks.”
The Council’s report builds on the 2019 report and included interviews with executives from fleets, truck manufacturers, utilities, charger manufacturers, research groups and industry organizations. The report includes EV charging strategies, a breakdown of charger types and charging service models.
Charging as a service is the payment of a fee to a provider who invests in the charging equipment needed to power customer fleets. With Trucking as a Service or Fleet as a Service, drivers can reserve fully charged electric trucks to pick them up at a scheduled time. The report shows that most fleets are buying charging stations, which can cost anywhere from less than $1,000 to as much as $90,000 per charger, depending on charging speed.
According to the report, aspects of the 10-step plan to implement charging infrastructure include appointing an internal project manager, working with key stakeholders, selecting EVs and chargers, and designing and building the infrastructure. Financial support is available for the transition to electric trucks. Resources facilitating access include Clean Cities Coalitions and electric utilities. A meeting with the latter is also important to ensure that there is enough power available for the infrastructure.
“Remember that your energy supplier has a (regulated) monopoly,” the report says. “No one else can supply your power. It’s important to talk to your energy supplier as soon as you have the slightest thought of converting your fleet to electric trucks. There are more than 3,000 individual utilities in the United States alone, and no two are exactly the same.”
The report also shows that some chargers do not work well with electric trucks and fleets need to work with truck manufacturers to select the appropriate charger. Fleets can use charge management software to ensure vehicles are charged when needed and at the lowest cost. Charging a vehicle during the day and at higher speeds can be more expensive as the power demand is higher. However, charging at slower speeds or lower power is more cost-effective.
A recent study found that 23% of public electric vehicle chargers in the San Francisco Bay Area were unusable. Similar problems have arisen with personal chargers. According to the report, fleets should have a service contract that monitors and repairs equipment with guaranteed minimal downtime.
With a DC fast charger, the Volvo VNR Electric 4×2 Class 8 truck can be charged from 20% to 80% in 50 minutes. Class 8 trucks are the largest truck class and the Volvo truck has a range of 175 miles. According to the report, it was estimated that charging the truck from 20% to full charge took more than four hours, as the charging rate slows down as the battery gets closer to a full charge.
According to the report, DC chargers integrated with battery storage can draw power from the grid when it is more cost-effective. A disadvantage of these systems is that they cannot deliver full power when the batteries are discharged. Wireless charging systems also exist, but they typically charge at slower speeds.
Lowell-based trucking company JB Hunt Transport Services and Bentonville-based retailer Walmart have piloted medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks. Both companies are exploring a mix of alternative fuel trucks, including hydrogen-powered trucks, for their fleets to meet their emission reduction or elimination targets.
Lisa Perry, senior manager of energy services at Walmart, recently said the company is testing Freightliner eCascadia and Nikola Class 8 trucks. She cited battery weight as one of the challenges in deploying Class 8 electric trucks for road transportation.
“They have to be weighed at weigh stations,” Perry said. “Someone told me that it was much easier to make potato chips electrically than soft drinks.”
