Shift Magazine - December 2021 - 7

it cuts into profits. "
IHS Markit principal automotive analyst
Stephanie Brinley said the conversion
of the nation's semitruck fleet to electric
vehicles is " happening a little more slowly,
but there are also different challenges for
this sector, and it often does trail light-vehicle
adoption of safety and fuel efficiency
measures.
" We expect that a dual ZEV solution is
Tre BEV by year end. Nikola
claims up to 350 miles of
range and an 82,000-pound
gross vehicle weight. Nikola
said that next year the Ulm
plant will build as many as
100 trucks, with demand far
exceeding capacity.
A few other truckmakers are
offering electric semitrucks for
short-haul applications such as
taking a container from a rail car
distribution hub or running short
delivery
routes.
more viable for Class 8 trucks, with both
battery-electric and fuel cell electric solutions,
based in different use cases. "
She said with shorter-haul applications,
a fleet can mitigate concerns about range,
charging infrastructure and payload penalty.
Brinley sees the fuel cell solution to
likely be better for long-haul tractor-trailer
applications, where longer
range and
quicker refueling times are necessary,
and that long term both fuel cells and battery-electric
trucks will have a role.
Terry Rivers, vice presiKenworth's
electric
T680E has been available
for order for about a year
and has an estimated 150-mile
range, while Peterbilt hopes to have its
579EV, with a 150-mile range, in customers'
hands this year. Peterbilt says it has
taken more than 400 orders. BYD's 8TT is
also for shorter hauls.
Tesla's semitruck was introduced in
2017 but hasn't been produced yet. The
company says it will go on sale next year.
'HAULING WEIGHT'
As to why there are fewer electric
semitrucks, there are several reasons.
As with the other types of EVs either
on sale or being developed, lack of
charging infrastructure is a major
obstacle and even more crucial
when talking about big rigs.
Also, as with the consumer
market, range anxiety is factor.
The trucking business is about
" hauling weight, " Peterbilt
spokesman Tim Olson told
Shift, " and batteries are very
heavy, so the more batteries
you add to increase the range of
the truck, the less goods you can
haul in the trailer. So at some point
december 2021 * shift
7
dent of maintenance at
Cox Automotive's
Dickinson Fleet Services, said hydrogen
fuel cells are better for long hauling
because hydrogen has far better energy
density than a lithium ion or solid-state
battery.
" I haven't heard of any battery with anywhere
near the fuel cell's energy density.
It's probably not impossible, but I haven't
heard of any. "
Nonetheless Peterbilt's Olson is confident
the hurdles will be overcome and that
the battery-electric Class 8 truck is coming.
" The interest in trucking in the EV space
is off the charts, " he said.
" Right now the bigger issue is the ability
for deliveries and the infrastructure to
charge it, so for long hauls battery-electric
doesn't make sense. But with any technology,
as it advances, range will increase
and at some point there will be a tipping
point. " n
Peterbilt's
579EV has
a 150-mile
range. The
company
hopes to
have it in
customers'
hands this
year.
Shift Magazine - December 2021

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