{"id":248586,"date":"2023-12-14T22:19:20","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T22:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/?p=248586"},"modified":"2023-12-14T22:19:20","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T22:19:20","slug":"dhl-thinks-its-electric-trucks-are-just-right-for-the-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/dhl-thinks-its-electric-trucks-are-just-right-for-the-country\/","title":{"rendered":"DHL Thinks Its Electric Trucks Are Just Right For The Country"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to electrified issues, Ohio sometimes gets left behind. Whether that\u2019s certain vehicles, state-level tax incentives or even a charging network as expansive as that of other states, we all collectively get skipped. It\u2019s cool. We\u2019re used to it. After all, California\u2019s the biggest market for anything electrified. But that doesn\u2019t mean Ohio\u2014and other states that aren’t California\u2014are not somehow pivotal to understanding how and where we can get away from gas.<\/p>\n

Many companies get this. Take DHL, the massive international logistics and shipping company with a\u00a0regional headquarters in\u00a0Westerville, Ohio. Shipping accounts for a\u00a0lot of emissions. So as DHL attempts to\u00a0electrify its fleets to address that problem, it’s open about how states like Ohio can help it understand what the actual use cases are for EVs in the rest of the country. DHL invited me to Westerville to take a gander at an example of one of its new completely electric trucks\u2014and hear about its plans to electrify shipping.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Get Fully Charged<\/h3>\n

The trucking industry faces an emissions transformation too<\/p>\n

From the Tesla Semi to experiments in hydrogen power, the trucking industry must also evolve to meet a future where emissions rules are much stricter. This story describes just one part of that effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n

DHL doesn\u2019t do door-to-door parcels anymore here in the United States. No, it lost that battle in the late 2000s to UPS and FedEx. But DHL still does international deliveries, where it then turns over its packages to USPS, UPS, or FedEx letting them finish out those last packages. It also does contract shipping, where it manages curated clients shipping large items from one space to another. These new Class 8 tractor-trailers are meant to serve as last-mile delivery solutions for the clients it has.<\/p>\n

The one on display in Ohio is one of the 17 trucks\u2014including five\u00a0compressed natural gas ones\u2014it plans to have in service by the end of spring 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll admit, that might not sound like a lot of trucks, but DHL\u2019s fleet isn\u2019t super big. DHL\u2019s President of Transportation, Jim Monkmeyer explained that it\u2019s only about 1,500 trucks or so it has in its nationwide fleet, which currently do the same purpose as the EV trucks it has here. (And DHL already has\u00a030,000 light-to-heavy duty EVs deployed all over the world.)<\/p>\n

Keep in mind, these EV trucks aren\u2019t meant to be long-haul, cross-country type operations, but more so last-mile deliveries meant for cities and other shorter runs. So in proportion, that\u2019s not too bad. These trucks have tangible benefits, too. DHL found an EV truck consumed about 50% less energy than a diesel one when put on the same job. Switching to electric makes a lot of sense.<\/p>\n

The truck itself on display at DHL\u2019s Westerville campus was a fairly standard Volvo VNR class 8 truck, shown off in the smaller four-module battery pack. DHL\u2019s Senior Director of Asset Management, Ted Valin, said that the company expects to get about 150 miles of range from this truck, and closer to 225 miles of range; enough to handle the local routes that DHL has in mind for the truck. DHL added that it has two Freightliner eCascadias entering service, which also have about the same range and performance as the battery-powered Volvo VNR. The company says\u00a0the electric trucks get up to 250 miles on a single charge, which works well for regional hauling.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the unique things we\u2019re doing is testing them outside of the state of California,\u201d Valin said. This testing allows the company to learn just what these trucks will do when faced with concerns like cold weather or snow, things that aren\u2019t as much of an issue in the Golden State.<\/p>\n

With those limitations in mind, DHL can effectively tweak its routes to ensure the truck will always have enough range to finish the job. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna have [the trucks] in Columbus, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and even Middletown, Ohio,\u201d\u00a0Valin added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Of course, ensuring those routes fall within their scope is key. Right now, DHL isn\u2019t all that keen on investing in or relying on public charging infrastructure. The Volvo VNR uses the same CCS 1 combo port just like any other EV on the market. But for now, all of the charging for these vehicles will be done at the vehicle\u2019s home base. DHL says that as the largest contract shipper in the US, its advantages are that it can effectively manage its charging needs, from dispatch. So right now, the company doesn\u2019t really need public charging at all.<\/p>\n

But plenty of trucking companies that do more long-haul freight work are getting into the charging game; this summer the Wall Street Journal<\/em> reported\u00a0Daimler Truck is working with\u00a0renewable company NextEra Energy on a network designed to support the trucking industry. Right now, we’re even seeing automakers not traditionally involved in “fueling” get into the charging game. It seems likely trucking companies will need to do something similar, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Perhaps most famously, PepsiCo has a small fleet of Tesla Semi trucks\u00a0posting encouraging range results, and one large\u00a0Coca-Cola distributor is also using\u00a0Daimler Freightliner eCascadias too. These efforts are still in the early phases, but they may show eventual promise.\u00a0<\/p>\n

My conversation with Valin ended on a high note. He called himself a \u201ctrue believer\u201d in electrification, speaking on how much he loves his Tesla. The low maintenance allure of his EV is part of the reason he believes that these new EV Class 8 trucks will work out to be superior to the traditional ICE trucks.<\/p>\n

For the handful already in DHL\u2019s fleet, Monkmeyer and Valin both claimed that drivers appreciated how quiet, comfortable and quick these trucks were, allowing drivers to end shifts with less fatigue. In theory, the benefits of the truck itself could lead to DHL attracting and retaining drivers in a world where truck drivers are in short supply.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gallery: Volvo VNR Electric <\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

DHL plans to electrify 30% of its fleet by 2030. Could electric trucks make shipping cheaper and greener? It certainly beats the alternative.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to electrified issues, Ohio sometimes gets left behind. 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