February 9, 2023 | NACFE

Run on Less – Electric Depot is going to be a reality, kicking off this fall with eight fleet depots with 15 or more electric vehicles participating at each depot.

EVinfo.net is honored to partner with North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE). See below a newsletter from NACFE Executive Director Mike Roeth.

From Executive Director Mike Roeth

As you all know by now, Run on Less – Electric DEPOT is going to be a reality, kicking off this fall with eight fleet depots with 15 or more electric vehicles participating at each depot. We are in the process of selecting the fleet depots that will be in the Run and will let you know this spring just who those participants are.

And while I can’t yet tell you about the fleet depots, I am excited to announce details for the Electric Depot Bootcamp. Based off the successful bootcamp from Run on Less – Electric, this year’s Bootcamp also will feature 10 sessions with more than 40 experts. The first Bootcamp session will take place on April 25 and will focus on best practices for utility-fleet relationships. The second session is scheduled for May 16 and will focus on grants and incentives for both trucks and infrastructure.

Subsequent sessions will take place every other Tuesday and will cover a wide range of topics including developments with the trucks themselves, faster charging, extending vehicle range, the availability of electricity and resiliency of the grid, zero-emission regulations, managing charging, scaling charging infrastructure, and site planning and construction.

You can find a complete description of the Bootcamp sessions and a registration form here.

We will again have quizzes following each Bootcamp training session so you can test your knowledge of a given topic. There will be a prize for anyone who successfully completes all 10 quizzes!

There is much to learn in order to scale EV deployments and we expect these 10 training sessions will provide useful insights and best practices. We look forward to collaborating with a variety of people across the EV ecosystem.

The Bootcamp sessions are free and are open to fleets, OEMs, component manufacturers, utilities, regulators, NGOs, charging system suppliers and anyone else with an interest in helping trucking move into a clean energy future.

If you are interested in sponsoring the Run, we need the support. Please contact me at [email protected] or NACFE’s Director of Industry Engagement, Dave Schaller at [email protected].

Learn More About Run on Less – Electric DEPOT

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Today I Learned…

NACFE staff members are getting out and about in the industry quite a bit. Every time we attend an event, we learn something new. We started this “Today I Learned” column in the newsletter to share with you some of the things we’ve picked up in our travels. Contact us if you want to ask questions about where and how we learned what we share here each month.

Fuel cell efficiency is higher than diesel efficiency but only when operating at low load. This adds to the significant design challenge of balancing a fuel cell, batteries, and the cooling package to meet cost, weight and performance targets.

– Yunsu Park, Director of Engineering

Due to uncertainty with the electrical industry grid, unease over the high price of BEVs as well as HFCVs, and concerns about training techs, many companies are thinking about keeping what they are familiar with — meaning diesel — at least for now.

– Ed Chipalowsky, Vehicle Service and Support Manager

In cars, automated electronic braking performance at higher speeds varies by manufacturer, sensor type(s), mode and type of vehicle ahead of the car. Systems may respond differently if the vehicle ahead is a box truck, a trailer, a motorcycle or other non-car.

– Rick Mihelic, Director of Emerging Technologies

We sometimes hear that bus and truck fleets might need 1.5 times the electric vehicles than ICE vehicles due to range and charging limitations. The likely outcome is that they will not make this investment but will modify their routes and look at alternatives such as opportunity charging.

– Jeff Seger, Clean Energy Consultant

Cummins is developing a portfolio of H2 internal combustion engines from 230 to 530 HP capable of meeting EPA 2027 NOx and achieving similar efficiency as current diesels.

– Yunsu Park, Director of Engineering

I’m convinced that the utility industry is every bit as diverse and complex as the trucking industry. And it is changing rapidly too. This relationship is going to be challenging.

– Dave Schaller, Director of Industry Engagement

To realize maintenance savings, electric trucks have to be designed for the long-haul. For example, axle weight that can get slightly imbalanced can prematurely wear out tires. Design, validation, continuous improvement, and acting on customer data will determine how quickly EVs realize their maintenance savings potential.

– Ari Kahn, Carbon-free Mobility Manager at RMI

A new car/truck design concept is the “Software-Defined Vehicle” — the idea that a vehicle will be very much like a Smartphone, with every single system and function on it controlled by computers/software.

– Jack Roberts, Consultant

Some companies are setting up CaaS facilities in warehouse-dense areas. Drivers pick up their bespoke-charged vehicles at the start of their shift, returning at end-of-shift. They are ready for the next shift. No infrastructure for the freight firm. Add truck leasing, it becomes “Trucking as a Service” (TaaS). Keep your eye on this development.

– Rob Graff, Senior Technical Consultant at RMI

Material producers are sitting on reams of composition, process, and property data with no good tool to extract insight to improve efficiency. This is a call to action for machine learning.

– Andrew Halonen, Lightweighting Consultant

Look For Us On The Town

We’re back on the road again. Here are some places you can find us.

• Energy Independence Summit 2023: The nation’s clean transportation policy summit brings together leaders of the nation’s Clean Cities Coalitions, the clean transportation industry, the Biden Administration and Congress to accelerate strategies for advancing markets for clean fuels and vehicles. NACFE will be at this event Feb. 13-15 in Washington DC. Mike Roeth, executive director; Yunsu Park, director of engineering; and Rachel Ellenberger, industry engagement manager will be in attendance at the event.
• Technology & Maintenance Council: Stop by and see the NACFE team in Booth 2143 at this event geared to fleet technology and maintenance management professionals. The event is Feb. 27- Mar. 2 in Orlando, FL. Mike Roeth, NACFE’s executive director, and other experts will be speaking on Tuesday on future powertrain choices.
• Work Truck Show: Dave Schaller, NACFE’s director of industry engagement, is leading a panel at this event being held Mar. 7-10 in Indianapolis. Register for the event using promo code NACFE23 to gain free access to all three days of exhibits, Ride & Drive and one concurrent educational session (a $100 total value).
• Mid America Trucking Show: Held from March 30 to April 1 in Louisville, the show is billed as the largest annual trade show dedicated to the heavy-duty trucking industry. On Thursday, March 30, at 2 p.m. Mike Roeth, NACFE’s executive director, and several drivers from NACFE’s Run on Less events are going to share best practices for improving MPGs.
• ACT Expo: Join NACFE May 1-4 in Anaheim, CA for this event that focuses on advanced fleet vehicles, fuels and technologies. The NACFE team will be out in force at this event so stop by booth 6033 to chat with us.

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