Different car companies have been racing to make large delivery and distribution trucks electric for the upcoming years. Some of these trucks include all-include big rigs, semi-trucks, box trucks, and delivery vans.
There are some concerns of scaling, price, and battery charging technology.
However, because most cargo in the United States is shipped back and forth less than 250 miles, the electric trucks will be designed to travel on predictable routes that will have charging ports.
There have been technological problems with getting a charging port with a battery big enough for cargo truck sizes. However, with the electric car market growing rapidly and expected to grow 12% by 2030, companies and the government have been investing in zero-emission trucks from California.
Some of the trucking companies include BYD, Chanje, Daimler, Nikola Motors, Tesla, and Workhorse.
BYD
BYD is a trucking company that is targeting the short-haul goods delivery system. BYD is planning to release battery-electric trucks to customers in the United States, by 2020.
BYD creates the biggest EV maker with the number of vehicles sold, such as buses, forklifts, cars, and rail systems.
The long range battery electric Class 8 Day Cab is able to be recharged within two hours with a 240 volt charging system. The truck can go up to 65 miles per hour, and a range of 125 miles distance.
Chanje
The Los Angeles based company Chanje is a Chinese-backed startup company. The company has a 30-foot long V8100 electric van that can carry 3 tons of cargo. The lithium battery in the van can hold enough battery for a 150 mile range. The company has already released the van, and is already driving on the roads.
Chanje's plans are to release their trucks to lease to FedEx. Ryder ordered 500 trucks, and Chanje also partnered with Thermo King to make a refrigerated truck of the V8100 model delivery van.
Daimler
The German company Daimler is the largest truck maker in the world, and they released the all-electric 18 wheeler, the Freightliner eCascadia. The massive truck has a 250-mile range, and is designed for regional transportation.
Nikola Motors
Nikola Motors is a Phoenix-based startup that created the Nikola One and Nikola Two for USA roads. The Nikola Tre has been designed for Asia, Australia, and Europe.
Their ranges are 500-700 miles, and the semi-truck will be fully electric or hydrogen fuel cell electric. The company is planning to construct a network of 700 hydrogen stations in the U.S. by 2028.
Nikola plans to begin full production of its semi trucks in 2021, and has orders to alreadyy lease 14,000 big rigs.
Tesla
The Tesla is trying to replace diesel long-haul big rigs with all-electric, heavy duty semi trucks. Tesla announced the Tesla Semi in 2017 and production would begin in 2020.
The base prices for the Tesla Semis will be $150,000 for the 300-mile range trucks, and $180,000 for te 500 mile range trucks. The truck will have a two year payback period, and the truck is able to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 20 seconds with a full cargo load.
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