It stands to reason that the rate at which we are polluting the planet is unsustainable, and transportation is one of the biggest polluters. Electric vehicles have become a realistic and tangible option for many individuals looking to reduce their carbon footprint. Still, heavy-duty trucks and diesel fuel are the following issues that must be addressed.

The University of Windsor is home to the innovative minds of Dr. Rupp Carriveau and Dr. Hanna Maoh, Associate Director and Cross-Border Institute professor, respectively. The U of W’s highly accomplished engineering and environmental professors have teamed up with the trailblazing team at 360 Energy Inc. | Energy and Carbon Strategy | Tangible Results Delivered, responsible for changing both the worlds of sustainability and business with our carbon emission reduction efforts. On Jan 20th, experts in their respective fields, with interests in energy and development, to compare and contrast their viewpoints on the future of electrified trucking.

“We aimed to increase awareness in stakeholders that will be critical to making the transition happen and to inform them about what will be required. This progress is not attainable without actionable knowledge – it won’t just happen by itself”, says Dr. Carriveau on the event’s objectives.

The Environmental Energy Institute and Border Institute arranged the event, both associated with the U of W. The speakers attending were David Arkell, President and CEO of 360 Energy; Dr. Hanna Maoh of the Cross Border Institute; TerenceDimatulac, Ph.D. student; Dr. Rupp Carriveau of the Environmental Energy Institute; Phil McKay of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA), Anneke Smit from the Centre for Cities, James F. Brown from EnWin, and Gordon Hartley from Hydro One.

A featured presenter, Khalil Telhaoui, CPI, M.Ing, is a representative from Kruger Perú, a division of Kruger, one of the few companies presently using two 100% electric trucks in their daily operations. Kruger is piloting electrifying heavy transport trucks while navigating what is required to implement infrastructure to support vehicle charging. In addition, they have enacted a system for maintaining their operations at high efficiency by alternating both trucks and drivers to ensure that there is at least one truck on the road at all times.

As organizations such as Kruger are making promising steps toward a sustainable future, many factors remain that will challenge others wishing to follow their lead. Access to power and the charging infrastructure required would have to be abundant and readily available throughout transport routes. Terence Dimatulac is a Ph.D. candidate working on modelling the potential impact of electrification on the Ontario Grid. Based on current battery technology, it was hypothesized that if 100% of Ontario transport trucks were electrified, up to 8,000 MW of additional electricity would be added to the Grid. This forecasted load currently represents 1/3 of the Ontario Grid max power demand.

This development would require the collaboration and knowledge of federal, provincial, and municipal governments, electric utility providers, and truck manufacturers. Therefore, every party must be prepared to work side by side actively.

Furthermore, transitioning to electric vehicles is an inevitable obstacle – the price of electric solutions is often greater than traditional options. The cost of innovation and novelty is worth it, as having the appropriate information and knowledge will be required by the marketplace to ensure they make a profit by making the change. There are ways to offset these initial purchasing costs when looking at other operations in an organization. Just as natural gas and electricity usage in buildings can currently be optimized for energy consumption and expense, the infrastructure and processes needed for the future of electric logistics can too be optimized.

David Arkell explains that Optimistic in sustainability efforts, “Clients in the electrical industry have a great opportunity to help reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector and benefit financially. End-use clients and the electrical industry will need to organize and move quickly to take advantage of the coming transitions. Failure to do so means the hydrogen industry will fill the market gap as soon as they figure out how to develop a distribution system”.

Purchasing electric trucks for shipping and transport is not so far out of reach if action is taken to manage electrical consumption and pricing. Electricity as fuel can save money in the long run while significantly reducing carbon emissions and the world of consequences that follow.