Who Birthed The Electric Truck?
While "going green" is often little more than PR posturing, fuel-intensive businesses see alternative energy as simply a way to save money. But while electric, hybrid and other efficient drivetrain technologies proliferate in cars, commercial trucks have largely been left out of the green wave. Greentech Media reports that Electrorides, a green truck startup, is hoping to cash in on this absence by offering the first electric commercial-duty truck. The ZeroTruck is based on an Isuzu N-series platform, retrofitted with a UQM Technologies electric motor, offering 100-mile range when unladen. But commercial trucks aren't of much use when empty, and when loaded down the range falls sharply. That's why Electrorides offers a biodiesel engine which converts the vehicle to a parallel hybrid, adding another hundred miles to the truck's range. Like most new green vehicles reported in the media, the ZeroTruck is in beta testing, and is not yet available. Start watching out for the silent colossus this August (literally… this thing will sneak up on you!).
More by Edward Niedermeyer
Comments
Join the conversation
A good idea poorly executed. The duty cycle of route delivery that many LCF trucks in the class 3 through 6 range is doable with an EV. When you read the press press release they talk about their "Carbon Neutral Charging System" ie. a plane old ICE running biodiesel. EVs are expensive enough as it is without adding the complexity and cost of an engine. They have just built a overpriced series hybrid. Now if they designed the battery pack for fast charging or easy change out with a forklift it would have more potential.
Why not hybrid mail delivery vehicles and UPS trucks (among others)? Seems like all their stop and start driving would benefit from the technology. Better yet how about a version of GMs Volt technology in these low speed delivery vehicle. Electric when they are able and charging with a running engine when they aren't...
It's a good idea to have a secondary charging source that can run on WVO or BD, it empowers the truck owner to have an additional source other than pumped diesel. I could see owners of these trucks being ably to use their own fuel if they have the means.
Going for the electric commercial side is a smart strategy I wonder if they can sell to municipalities to help "green" those dirty trucks spewing diesel smoke in my town?? I asked my UPS guy how many miles they go in a day and he said about 40 so, they would fit into that range even with cargo. If you figure the fuel savings over 8 years it should pay the extra cost like with the Tesla.