Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2024 - 12

BROWNOUT FOR
COMMERCIAL-VEHICLE
ELECTRIFICATION?
Recharging the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600
Class 8 tractor, which Daimler Truck said is
nearing series-production readiness with a
maximum driving range of 310 miles.
Outsized costs for charging infrastructure could
slow implementation of battery-electric CVs.
by Bill Visnic
he high cost of batteries to electrify on-road commercial vehicles
is one thing. But some connected with or studying electrification
for the CV sector now are concerned that the cost of
installing high-capacity recharging infrastructure for EV versions
of trucks, buses and other on-road commercial vehicles is the
latest factor with potential to derail the growth of CV electrification.
One prominent study from earlier this year pegged the cost to the
freight industry and utilities at a resounding near-$1 trillion to fully
electrify all commercial vehicles over the course of roughly 20 years.
And that cost is for infrastructure only, exclusive of the vehicles
themselves, " which can be two to three times as expensive as their
diesel-powered equivalents, " the report asserted.
That study, " Forecasting a Realistic Electricity Infrastructure
Buildout for Medium- & Heavy-Duty Battery Electric Vehicles, " commissioned
from Roland Berger by the Clean Freight Coalition, has
attracted skepticism regarding its objectivity. The CFC is comprised
of the American Bus Association, American Truck Dealers, American
Trucking Associations, National Association of Truckstop Operators,
National Motor Freight Traffic Association, National Tank Truck
Carriers and Truckload Carriers Association.
Few dispute that electrifying all of the many different classes of commercial
vehicles will be an expensive undertaking, but most also agree
infrastructure is vital to what is believed an inevitable transition - however
long that transition takes. Electrification of over-the-road trucking
continues to face particular scrutiny, but projected high costs to install
12 October 2024
T
charging infrastructure for other types of on-road CVs
also are causing concern. There is the promise of a degree
of government assistance, but the private sector will
bear the majority of the burden, leading to questions of
competitiveness for fleets and individual operators during
the electrification transition.
The issue of charging-infrastructure costs comes
amid ongoing apprehension about the purchase cost
for electrified vehicles. Leasing company Ryder
Systems told The Wall Street Journal in early 2024 that
many of its customers that had begun to purchase
electric trucks were having difficulty finding payback
compared to counterparts with IC powertrains.
Assumptions raise questions
Some of the Roland Berger study's key elements are
based on comparing CV operating scenarios assuming
current technology and foreseeable " improved technology. "
This point is critical for long-haul (Class 8)
trucking, because the report effectively concludes that
an improved-technology scenario - that assumes battery
capacity of at least 850 kWh and a usable range
of 250 miles (402 km) - will be required for viable
long-haul EV trucks. The point also is vital because it
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
DAIMLER TRUCK
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2024

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