The trucking industry will, over the next few years, have to begin making plans about alternative power system and start getting ready for electrification. To find out more PowerTorque went to teh experts and asked JET Charge about some of the electric truck charging FAQs which the company comes across.
JET Charge do have customers who go the whole hog in one go and get all of the infrastructure changed and fit all the charging facilities at the same time. However, others will do it in stages, a long term plan is set up and each stage increases the company’s electrification capacity, spreading the cost out over a number of years.
A step by step process from no electric trucks to a final goal of full electrification over a number of years is usually broken down to suit vehicle life cycles or planned fleet replacement.
The other infrastructure concern for truck operators will be in the positioning of chargers. Trucks are not going to be heading to bowsers and then parking up. Instead they will be charging at their overnight parking location.
This means rows of chargers along the end of the parking bays is likely to be the ideal location. Simply park the truck up at the end of shift and plug in the charger.
The analysis of Total Cost of Ownership calculations are going to be critical for many operators. There is a need to examine the current fleet and plan the replacement program, balancing the extra cost of the truck itself to the cost savings which accrue from using electricity as a power source.
The timing can be critical to ensure a smooth transition from diesel to electricity. Infrastructure preparation is going to be critical to a successful transformation.
“Infrastructure concerns are not the hard part, we know how to do that right now,” say Alex Bowler, Business Development Sector Manager for bus and truck at JET Charge. “The main challenges are the commercial up front costs and political factors which are affecting decisions.
“For smaller operators, who do not have the knowledge to chew through this big transition, there are ways to implement the infrastructure without totally blowing the bank. We try and utilise as much of the existing infrastructure as we can, before breaking out the check book for lots of new stuff.”
