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Nikola Motors CEO Trevor Milton was part of a panel discussion on Alternative Fuels, speaking about the promises and difficulties of bringing clean vehicles like his Nikola Two hydrogen electric truck to the transportation industry. Photos: Stephane Babcock<\/p>\n
Electric trucks dominated the conversation during a panel discussion on the state of alternative fuels in which the speakers presented a not-too-far-off future where nearly silent and emission-less vehicles will likely find a place in trucking.<\/p>\n
The State of Alternative Fuels and Connected Tech panel held April 24 at the ACT Expo in Long Beach, California, with speakers from Penske Truck Leasing, NFI, Volvo Trucks North America, and Nikola Motor Company. The discussion featured a frank conversation about the viability of electric vehicles in commercial applications.<\/p>\n
Natural gas, propane, and traditional diesel were still present at the annual event, but a cursory walk through the show floor suggested that a shift toward electric vehicle development is well under way.<\/p>\n
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The State of Alternative Fuels and Connected Tech discussion panel included Paul Rosa, senior vice president of procurement and fleet planning for Penske Truck Leasing, Peter Voorhoeve, Volvo Trucks North America president, Ike Brown, vice chairman and co-owner of NFI, and Trevor Milton, CEO of Nikola Motor Company. The panel was moderated by\u00a0Erik Neandross, CEO, Gladstein, Neandross & Associates<\/p>\n
That new focus was captured by Paul Rosa, senior vice president of procurement & fleet planning for Penske Truck Leasing, when he told the audience \u201cwe are on the cusp of the transformation of truck power.\u201d<\/p>\n
The truck leasing giant has made moves in recent months that would seem to indicate a real interest in electric truck power, however early the stage. On the same day as the panel, the company announced the addition of heavy-duty electric vehicle charging stations<\/a> at four of its Southern California facilities.<\/p>\n Both Penske and trucking and 3PL services provider NFI are early adopters of electric trucks, agreeing to work with Daimler to operate heavy- and medium-duty electric trucks from Freightliner\u2019s Innovation fleet. Ike Brown, vice chairman and co-owner of NFI, said that electric trucks make a lot of sense for his fleet because the average haul is no more than 300 miles.<\/p>\n Volvo Trucks North America president\u00a0Peter Voorhoeve<\/a> said that the demand for electric trucks was already apparent.\u00a0 Trevor Milton, chief executive officer of Nikola Motor Company, which recently unveiled the Nikola Two Class 8 truck<\/a> in both battery and hydrogen-fueled versions, was so confident in the technology that he envisions his trucks as the iPhone of trucking, ushering in a new era of technology where there previously was none.<\/p>\n For fleets, the availability and viability of electric trucks is still a mystery. Even for early adopters with an interest, the options are few and the realities are unknown.<\/p>\n Penske is taking an experimental approach to electric trucks. It has already taken delivery of Freightliner eM2 and Mitsubishi Fuso eCanter vehicles, which it will then lease to interested fleets that might have a business-use case.<\/p>\n Because the technology is so new, Penske said it has to learn its limitations before it will even offer the trucks on a large scale. \u201cWe tell customers that they may not be able to handle some of these new technologies,\u201d said Rosa.<\/p>\n This means that at first, Penske will take a slow approach to adoption, though that could change, he said. \u201cAs long as something is performing well, we\u2019ll go faster.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI get emails every day about some new technology. We have to look at works best for us,\u201d said NFI\u2019s Brown. He also said that his company has a solid use case for electric vehicles. \u201cElectric trucks make a lot of sense for us. I could very well see 30% of our fleet become electric trucks.\u201d<\/p>\n For truck builders, too, there is a lot of uncertainty. Volvo has produced some electric vehicles, at first for European markets, but the company also announced plans for an\u00a0electric version of the VNR<\/a> for the North American regional-haul market.<\/p>\n Volvo\u2019s Voorhoeve said that when Nikola and other up-and-comers started to announce electric trucks several years ago, it put pressure on the existing global truck OEMs to develop solutions of their own. \u201cThe path [to electric trucks] is clear and that\u2019s where we\u2019re going,\u201d he said. If anything, he added that he was most concerned about continued efforts by the government to incentivize development efforts through grants and tax credits.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we don\u2019t incentivize it, it\u2019s going to be a long road,\u201d Voorhoeve explained, challenging legislators to support more electric truck development.<\/p>\n Nikola was among the earliest to stake a claim in the electric vehicle Wild West, announcing the Nikola One truck in late 2016. But even with all of the money and effort it has spent to produce a truck, Nikola\u2019s Milton expects there to be difficulties early on.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to have a lot of problems, said Milton. \u201cI guarantee you\u2019re going to see a Nikola truck on the side of the road.\u201d<\/p>\n While battery electric trucks were the focus of much of the discussion, Nikola\u2019s hydrogen fuel-cell design highlights one of the key limitations of the technology \u2013 range. So far, nearly all of the electric trucks that have been announced or developed are strictly for regional and urban applications, leaving long-haul trucking with a lack of potential options.<\/p>\n Nikola\u2019s solution<\/a> is to equip its trucks with hydrogen fuel-cell stacks that can generate enough energy to keep the electric motor going for extended distances. And best of all, instead of hours of charging a battery, hydrogen can be refueled completely at a station like other fuels.<\/p>\n The hardest part for Nikola is building out a usable infrastructure for its customers so that hydrogen fuel is available<\/a> where it is needed. The company claims to already have billions of dollars in orders from fleets.<\/p>\n When he was asked about the high upfront costs and risks his company was taking, Milton said that he wasn\u2019t so worried about short-term risks because his vision for the company was for the long term.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in it for 50 years,\u201d said Milton. \u201cMy entire life I have been around risk. The more people doubt us, the more I want to prove them wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n The elephant in the room for the panel was the event\u2019s most visibly absent player, Tesla. That OEM claims its Tesla Semi electric truck will be a combination of all options, short and long range, with the promise of a supportive infrastructure. Not only that, Tesla has been successfully producing consumer electric vehicles as long as anyone, increasing production levels and charging infrastructure the whole time.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had a Tesla for four years now and I\u2019ve never seen the inside of a Tesla service shop,\u201d noted NFI\u2019s Brown.<\/p>\n Most on the panel agreed that for the immediate future, electric trucks would exist as a niche offering, supported economically by government incentives and limited to specific, shorter range applications.<\/p>\n The demand for electric power is growing, the technology is improving, but it\u2019s still a way from being a true competitor in commercial transportation. But if it ever reaches that point, the benefits promise to be unmatched \u2013 emissions-free operation, fewer moving parts to break, and more power and efficiency.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople see the value in a clean environment,\u201d said Voorhoeve. \u201cIf we are all serious about a cleaner environment, we should put our money where our mouth is.\u201d<\/p>\n by Steven Martinez<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Electric](\"https:\/\/fleetimages.bobitstudios.com\/upload\/trucking-info\/content\/article\/green\/xos-truck-alt-fuels-__-720x481-a.jpg\")
The Wild West of Electric Trucks<\/h4>\n
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What About Range?<\/h4>\n
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I\u00b4m\u00a0a Fleet Management expert, and the manager of\u00a0![\"\"](\"http:\/\/en.advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Cartel-Valencia-2019-1.jpg\")
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