ELECTRIC TRUCKS GAIN TRACTION--Carl Schwab

In the Wednesday, December 8th, B section of the WSJ an article with the title "Electric Vehicles Arrive, Firms See Payback in Trucks" appeared. Parts of the article are repeated in the following.

Staples Inc., Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo, FedEx Corp., AT&T Inc. and a few other companies have begun purchasing electric delivery trucks. Proponents say they make more sense in many ways than electric cars. That's because delivery trucks generally drive short, defined routes each day, which are better suited to the limited range of battery power. Moreover, electric vehicles provide greater savings to companies than to consumers compared with diesel or gasoline models, not only in fuel costs BUT in
maintenance.

Staples has ordered 41 trucks from Smith Electric Vehicles of Kansas City, Mo., and will start receiving them in January, There is "a real strong chance we'll make a second order for 40," a Staples spokesman has said.

FedEx is using 19 all-electric vehicles in London, Paris and Los Angeles made Modec of Great Britain and Navistar International Corp. FedEx is enthusiastic about all-electric.

Frito-Lay, meantime has ordered 176 Smith electric delivery trucks, The snack foods maker intends to convert up to half of its 4000 medium-duty delivery trucks to battery-powered vehicles. Frito-Lay spokesman says, "We are not making a trade-off and doing a good deed for the sake of a good deed". There is a great return on the investment."

The trucks, which have a top speed of about 50mph and can carry 16,000 pounds, cost about $30,000 more than a diesel, but Staples expects to recover that expense in 3.3 years because of the savings inherent in the electric models.

Staples says the annual maintenance cost of a diesel truck is about $2,700 a year, including oil, transmission fluid, filters and belts. For an electric truck—which has no transmission and needs no fluids, filters or belts---the cost is about $250.

And since it costs much more to maintain an internal-combustion delivery truck than a car, the cost savings for truck fleets is greater than for consumers buying an electric model.

One big savings comes in brakes. Because electric trucks use "regenerative" braking (BER), which returns some of stopping to the batteries in the form of electricity, the brakes don't wear out as fast. That means the brakes last four or five years, not the one or two, before they need a $1,100 repair.

Electric trucks also don't need the urea exhaust-cleaning system of diesels, which costs about $700 a year to maintain. And electric motors are far less complex than diesel engines, last much longer and the training to work on them is minimal. On top of this, Stapes figures to save about $6,500 per vehicle in fuel costs per vehicle over a diesel model.

Each Staples electric delivery truck will run a route under 70 miles and then come back to be recharged at night. Staples experience with diesel truck is that they get about 10mpg making the fuel cost savings even more dramatic.

The likely-hood of the electric livery truck taking off is very good. The savings are strictly in the pocket of the vending service and doesn't depend in anyway on the customer and his wants.

Interesting

 

Comments

[bucket trucks]

I am glad there is discussion on the electric cars which is what I am trying to buy one for the new age.To save myself and the world fro the pollution.Good to hear about the brakes.

[Orlando electrical contractor]

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[electrotherm]

My observation is that each basics power shipping vehicle will run a path under 70 kilometers and then come back to be energized at night. Basics experience with diesel powered vehicle is that they get about 10mpg making the petrol personal cost savings even more extraordinary.

[Wrecker light bar]

Superb Post,That's really a fantastic info,I have spent a lot of time to gain info of electric truck,Very helpful for me,Thanks............