Tesla is delivering its first electric Semi's to customers including PepsiCo later this year.Įlectric garbage trucks: No matter where you live, being awoken at 5 a.m. Last week, the Department of Energy announced $100 million in funding for clean truck projects through its SuperTruck 3 program. The North American Council for Freight Efficiency is running a program this year looking at the real-world operations of 13 electric trucks. Scooter company Spin announced this week that it's electrifying the vans that pick up and charge its scooter networks.Įlectric big rigs: While battery-powered electric semi trucks are still in the early stages of development, they're making major strides and garnering increased attention. This class of vehicles also can be tweaked for midsize and small-business owners to move goods around town, whether that's a flower shop or a bakery. Across the globe, this type of vehicle can save companies significant money on operating costs, including diesel fuel costs, maintenance costs and the costs of replacing brakes. The company just delivered one of its e-tractors to musician Jack Johnson to be used on a farm on the north shore of Oahu.Įlectric delivery and cargo vans: The electrification of last-mile delivery vans is tipping this year as big consumer-facing logistics brands such as UPS, Amazon, FedEx and DHL look to clean up their operations. A startup called Solectrac is making what it calls the first commercially available electric tractor, which can run (quietly and cleanly) for three to six hours on a single charge and can be charged in under four hours. Here are five battery-powered commercial vehicles I'm excited about.Įlectric tractors: Yep, those diesel-powered tractors plowing farms across America could be powered by batteries one day. (If you want to learn more about the electrification of transportation, make sure to register for VERGE Electrify, an online event May 25 and 26 focused on the electrification of everything). But electrifying the long tail of commercial transportation is just as awesome. The technology - at its cheapest and most powerful state in history - can offer various configurations, whether that's moving a huge semi-truck or propelling a compact cargo bike. There are also more incentives for fleet managers to adopt these battery-powered vehicles, because in a growing amount of cases, electric vehicles can save companies money over using diesel power.īattery-powered commercial vehicles also highlight the power of the lithium-ion battery in a unique way. Vehicles such as the big rigs that carry goods across state lines, vans that drop off packages at your front door, garbage trucks that pick up our waste or the forklifts that move pallets across the floor in warehouses.Įlectrifying these commercial vehicles will be potentially even more important than passenger vehicles for reducing carbon emissions and for cleaning up local air pollution. And all those new models coming out - from Ford's Mach-e to Volkswagen's ID.4 - are super exciting.īut of equal importance is all those other vehicles big and small that aren't carrying passengers on commutes or to the local Starbucks, but that are toiling behind the scenes. When most folks think of the electrification of transportation, they naturally think about electric cars. Make a one-time donation or become a regular supporter here. Support the Wire and Community Journalism The city added an electric Chevrolet Bolt in 2017, the first electric police vehicle in the state and the first Bolt used as a police car in the country, and has other electric and hybrid vehicles in its fleet, including two electric motorcycles.Įlectric vehicles are becoming more common on Route 1, with charging stations from Greenbelt to Mount Rainier, including two fast-charging stations at the Hyattsville municipal building at 4310 Gallatin St. “Hyattsville is going green and there’s no going back!” she said in a statement. Public Works Director Lesley Riddle said in a statement that the zero-emissions truck will save on fuel costs and reduce the fumes inhaled by garbage collectors on the job. Made by Chinese manufacturer BYD Auto and Iowa-based Curbtender, the class 6 refuse truck has a 200 KWh battery, about double the capacity of the battery on a Tesla Model S, allowing it to go for an entire day without charging. This week, the first electric garbage truck in the state of Maryland has been added to the City of Hyattsville’s vehicle fleet.
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