Electric vehicles aren’t new to the market, but electric trucks are. Most electric vehicles are small and don’t have much horsepower. Trucks need to be able to pull thousands of pounds in freight, so they need significant horsepower. That’s one reason the debut of electric trucks is so exciting. Take a look at how electric trucks could change the shipping industry.
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Situation: Introducing the Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck
In late July 2016, Daimler Trucks introduced its first electric heavy-duty truck. It’s a Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck that weighs 28 tons and runs on a Fuso Center E-Cell battery. Daimler Trucks aims to make the eTruck a reality in the next few years. The truck would be suitable for light distribution.
The design of the Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck is based on the automaker’s three-axle short-radius distribution truck. The frame is very similar, but engineers revised the drive concept for the alternate fuel type. The back axle directly connects to electric motors on the wheel hubs, a design that appeared on the Mercedes-Benz Ciatro hybrid bus.
Three lithium-ion battery modules power the Urban eTruck, and the truck can travel up to 125 miles on a single charge. This is the typical distance for a daily delivery route. The batteries are tucked away inside the frame of the eTruck for protection from minor crashes.
Approach: Daimler Trucks Takes Advantage of Decreasing Battery Costs
Electric cars have been around for over a decade, but manufacturers haven’t touched electric trucks until recently because the costs were too prohibitive. Daimler Trucks predicts that the cost of lithium-ion batteries will decrease steadily over the next few years. In fact, the cost of lithium-ion batteries could decrease from $550 per kilowatt hour (kWh) to $220 per kWh by 2025. The batteries’ performance will also most likely improve. Overdrive Online explains that batteries could increase from 80 watt-hour per kilogram (Wh/kg) to 200 Wh/kg in the coming years.
Wolfgang Bernhard, a board member at Daimler, stated, “Electric drive systems previously only saw extremely limited use in trucks … Nowadays costs, performance, and charging times develop further so rapidly that now there is a trend reversal in the distribution sector: the time is ripe for the electric truck.”
Impact and Advantage
Other companies have been working to develop electric trucks, but Daimler was the first to introduce a viable model. Both Tesla and upstart Nikola Motor Company are working on their own heavy-duty electric trucks. Tesla already has a history of success developing electric vehicles, and many other car manufactures could eventually enter the race.
It’s safe to assume that as electric vehicle technology improves, more and more electric trucks will find their way onto highways and their size and towing capacity will grow exponentially. The Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck and other electric trucks are exciting news for the shipping industry because supply chains will be able to reduce their fuel costs and decrease their impact on the environment, both of which represent critical developments.
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