Electric cars are becoming more common on the roads, but when it comes to trucks and large freight vehicles, they still seem to be far away from being replaced by electric trucks. This however will probably be only true for a short while longer as automotive technology. Ian Wright, who is a co-founder of Tesla, claims that commercial trucks are the real market for electric vehicles, not cars. We already have electric truck concepts which are working, and there are other ways as well in which the fleets are being turned into electric-powered vehicles.
Battery Issues Holding Electric Trucks Back
There are some issues which have kept electric trucks and cars off the market. One problem is that it is rather hard for the batteries to store all the power needed to travel any sort of distance, though this is changing fast as our battery technology is improving.
Batteries will probably become much cheaper and better as Tesla’s commitment to open a multi-billion dollar battery production factory for which they already have the funding for gathers steam. When batteries are cheap and efficient enough, one part of the problem will be solved. There is also an issue with the charging stations required to charge these vehicles, as they are not common. This is a bigger problem for personal vehicles than it is for commercial vehicles.
Hybrids to the rescue
Fully commercial electric trucks, right now, are not practical. What we are seeing these days in the market is the availability of Hybrid trucks. Hybrid cars have become very common and we can expect things to go the same way for trucks. There are some innovative companies like Via Motors who are already selling hybrid trucks and we can expect more competitors to enter the market. There are, however, companies with an even bigger vision. The general feeling is that hybrids are just the in-between trend as the market shifts from fossil fuels to electric power and therefore will not be a long lasting market. These companies are focusing on creating true electric trucks.
True Electric Trucks
The biggest reason that it is inevitable for electric trucks to be a reality is that the big companies have started to enter the market. We have innovative companies like Smith Electric that are already selling electric trucks, which have limited uses for now. Tevva Motors has been making a lot of noise in the market and are making big investments to up their manufacturing. Companies like BMW and Nissan have also joined the ranks of companies trying to successfully make electric trucks.
BMW is already testing an electric truck
Among the big companies vying for the electric truck market, BMW has made the greatest progress. Most electric trucks made by small companies are small in size themselves and are not suitable for cargo. BMW has partnered with Scherm and have had a working electric truck in testing since June. The truck has been making 8-12 kilometre trips daily between the factories and data is being painstakingly noted down. BMW plans to do 1 year of testing before deciding where to go with the technology they have created. The best achievement of BMW is that they have successfully tested a 40-ton electric truck, a feat which has not been achieved by any other company.
Volkswagen enters the personal truck market
Volkswagen, on the other hand, has taken things in a completely different way. Instead of focusing on commercial trucks, they are bringing back a classic truck in electric form. The best part is that they have chosen the perfect model to bring back as electric, considering the environmental impact of electric vehicles; the VW Camper. We all know it as the hippie van and it is popular all around the world. Volkswagen is still in the concept stages for this project but it plans to release more details soon.
Why Electric Trucks are a Big Deal
It takes a lot to convince the average consumer to change their mind regarding a product. Lots of marketing will be required to make people want electric cars, and we are already seeing the advertising increase for them. However for businesses, the story is different; all you need to show them is the benefit or profit. Companies will switch over the minute it is profitable for them to do so if it benefits the bottom line. Thus, every company working on electric trucks knows that the minute their product is viable and cheaper than normal fossil fuel trucks, they will be able to capture the market.
Consumer electric vehicles also have to worry about refuelling and unscheduled drives when the car is not charged. Commercial fleets do not have to worry about this as they can simply create a charging station for their fleets in their garage and their routes and timings are fixed. The market is ready; it is up to the producers to come up with a product good enough. European manufacturers are also focused on electric and have been early adopters in the electric market. The Iveco cargo was recently named International truck of the year and although not electric the company is well known for its corporate responsibility and has ambitions of cracking
Flash Charging
Another reason that electric trucks will become more common is the development of flash charging technology. Usually electric vehicles take a few hours to charge. This can be unacceptable for a commercial fleet. In order to combat this issue, flash charging technology was developed and we already have working chargers which can charge a vehicle in 15 seconds. The technology is still being worked on and once it is perfected, it will result in fast paced adoption of electric vehicles all over the world.
The Future is Electric
In the future, a lot more than just the engine of the vehicles will be electric. Lots of work is also being done to create automated fleets which will follow routes and drive themselves. This means that the whole process of delivery will be handled by robots and software; the vehicles will drive themselves in a safe manner. Since driving a truck is a very time consuming job and often results in drivers becoming fatigued, self-driving trucks can be a great alternative. Self-driving vehicles are already being tested and Tesla has even launched limited self-driving software for their consumer vehicles and the same is not too far away for trucks.