december2022 - 6

HI TCHED UP FROM THE EDITOR
When picking the fleet
of the future, choose wisely
Don't let the push for cleaner trucks shove you down the wrong path.
By John Hitch
Editor-in-chief
@Hitched2Trucks
By the end of the decade, fleets are
poised to have far more electric vehicles
to manage and maintain. According to
Statista, worldwide medium-duty EVs
will more than quadruple from now until
2025, and then nearly double (to 302,000
units) from then to 2026. In the heavyduty
sector, there's just under 2,000 electric
trucks now; by 2026 there will be
22,000. From there, it's presumed exponential
growth will ensue.
This leaves little time for commercial
vehicle operators to decide what their
individual fleet of the future should look
like. The important thing to remember is
that there is probably no one " holy grail " to
get you through this climate crusade. Like
Indiana Jones, you must " choose wisely, " as
the shiniest object-or one with the most
government incentives-might not make
sense for your application.
First off, there's two big reasons to not
procrastinate: the carrot and stick brandished
by the federal government. The
carrot is all the available incentives via
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). These pieces
of legislation include billions in investments
and incentives to purchase battery-electric and
fuel-cell electric vehicles. The IRA specifically
allows up to a $7,500 tax credit for light-duty
commercial vehicles (14,000 lb. GVWR).
Meanwhile, the stick is the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)-which plans to tighten
greenhouse gas emission standards for
model year 2027 and beyond " for subsectors
where electrification is advancing at a more
rapid pace, " which will likely impact buses,
delivery trucks, and short-haul tractors. Heavyduty
vehicles may also get new GHG emissions
standards for MY 2030.
But, if I had to guess, the combination of
government ineptitude/corruption paired
with a fragile grid will not support the rate
of electrification politicians are aiming for.
So, perhaps sticking with a diesel platform
and implementing biodiesel makes the most
sense for your application while also reaching
net emission targets. A study from the
Diesel Technology Forum and Stillwater
Associates of medium- and heavy-duty trucks
in 10 northeastern states found using " 100%
renewable diesel resulted in three times larger
cumulative GHG reductions by 2032 than the
EV scenarios.
6 Fleet Maintenance | December 2022
69041551 | Skypixel | Dreamstime
Green hydrogen, processed using renewables,
is gaining momentum, though. The
infrastructure law includes $1 billion for
a Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program
that cuts green hydrogen costs and the
Department of Energy's Hydrogen Shot
program is working to reduce green hydrogen
cost from $5/kg to $1/kg in a decade.
During a recent visit to green hydrogen
producer Plug Power's innovation
center in Rochester, New York, I received
a glimpse of a possible zero-emission
future firsthand. Along with seeing how
Plug makes license plate-sized membrane
electrode assemblies for their fuel cells
and electrolyzers, Plug representatives
detailed how its electrolyzers produce
liquid hydrogen using hydroelectric
power from Niagara Falls. Plug also
makes tankers to haul the liquid hydrogen
(which is colder than liquid nitrogen),
fuel cells (for forklifts and facilities), and
light commercial vans through a joint
venture with Renault. The company has
several projects across the globe and
" Using B20-a 20% blend of biodiesel with
80% petroleum diesel-provided about the
same cumulative GHG reduction, " the DTF
noted. Plus, the IRA did also include some
token tax credits for renewable biofuels.
On the other hand, the shiniest object
might work out for larger fleets, such as
Pespsi, which recently received 100 Tesla
Semis. The Semi's range is 300 to 500 miles,
depending on the battery configuration, and
that is the sweet spot for regional hauls. The
sleek design is also on brand for the Pepsi
Generation and works as an eye-catching
rolling billboard, although arguably not as
much as a harrier jet.
For a more grounded alternative, Freightliner,
Volvo, and Kenworth's electric trucks might
not have as long a range or Tesla's mystique,
but they have proven track records and much
wider service networks. A Pitt Ohio driver on
a pickup-and-delivery route I spoke with is
already in love with his Volvo VNR Electric
for its smooth ride and quiet operation.
Ultimately, the unfamiliar fuel-cell electric
vehicles might make the most sense in
the near future. The FCEVs being developed
now have a longer range than BEVs and
don't generate emissions. The problem is that
producing hydrogen takes a lot of energy.
expects to produce 500 tons of liquid green
hydrogen per day in 2025, up from 9.1 tons in
2022. Revenue also is projected to climb from
$1.4 billion next year to $20 billion in 2030.
Andy Marsh, Plug Power president and CEO,
told me hydrogen benefited most from the
IRA, and that the incentives will help accelerate
Plug's cost proposition. " Every time we
doubled the number of units in the field, our
costs declined by about 25%, " Marsh said. Plug
is also working to slash the amount of iridium
in its electrolyzers, as the global chase for rare
earth metals could get ugly.
" Hydrogen is really the Swiss Army knife
of this transition to renewable energy, " Marsh
offered. " We're going to help the world get to
net zero. "
This solution has found buy-in from large
including Amazon, Walmart, and
fleets,
Home Depot. FreezPak, a New Jersey-based
cold chain logistics provider, has used Plug's
hydrogen-powered forklifts since 2014. Co-CEO
David Saoud said the hydrogen forklifts take
only 90 seconds to refill, versus 10 hours for
electric, allowing for higher productivity. He
can't wait for hydrogen trucks to become available,
as he already has the infrastructure at the
cold storage facilities, and indicated FreezPak
will adopt whatever FCEV is first available,
leasing diesel trucks until that happens.
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december2022

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