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Articles by Mike Roeth
A New Definition for Long-Haul Heavy-Duty Trucking
The words we use to describe something influence our perceptions, understanding, even our actions. Consider the words long haul. What image pops in your mind when you hear those words? I am guessing for most of you it is a Class 8 truck with a sleeper cab driving across the country. You probably also picture a driver who is away from home for weeks at a time sleeping in their truck and taking a shower and eating at a truck stop. While that is one version of long haul, it is not the only one.
NACFE: Realistic Data is Key
As NACFE prepares for next year’s Run on Less – Messy Middle demonstration, we spent some time reviewing the findings from Run on Less – Electric DEPOT. One of the key findings from that report was that more realistic data on all key performance metrics of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is needed. We found that there is a need for better quality performance data on BEV operations — not measured solely on the vehicle, but also measured at the charger, at the depot and from a utility perspective.
NACFE: Making the Middle Less Messy
NACFE recently announced our fifth Run on Less demonstration. This one is called Run on Less – Messy Middle and will focus on Class 8 trucks in long-haul return-to-base and over-the-road operation. According to NREL’s report Decarbonizing Medium- & Heavy-Duty On-Road Vehicles: Zero-Emission Vehicles Cost Analysis, this segment makes up 9% of the truck market but contributes 48% of trucking’s emissions. In case you are not familiar with the messy middle, it is term NACFE started using in 2019.
Natural Gas, Battery-Electric Vehicles and the Long-Term Future
We are certainly entrenched in trucking’s messy middle where fleets have a variety of powertrain options available to them. One option for fleets today is natural gas — especially renewable natural gas. NACFE’s recent report, Natural Gas’ Role In Decarbonizing Trucking, looks at where natural gas fits into the trucking industry and addresses some of the opportunities and challenges fleets will face if they make the move to natural gas.
Three Ways to Improve Efficiency
The good news is that fleets are faced with myriad choices when it comes to powering their vehicles. Diesel, compressed natural gas, battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen used in internal combustion engines, renewable natural gas, renewable diesel, biodiesel — the list is long. This is also the bad news, as sometimes it is difficult to know which option is best. Think of it as being at a restaurant with an extensive menu where there are many options for your dinner.
Drawing a Road Map to Emissions Reduction
Editorial Most Viewed The push to decarbonize transportation can be intimidating for fleet managers who operate heavy- and medium-duty trucks. How will the industry reduce both tailpipe and greenhouse gas emissions? What will that mean for the internal combustion engine? What about charging and fueling infrastructure? How can fleets afford this new technology? The three-part Road to Zero webinar series will work to answer these questions and others.
Coaching and Incentivizing Drivers for Higher MPG
The pain at the pump is unflinching as the cost of diesel just keeps spiking. The price inflation of the recovering economy is being greatly exacerbated by Russia’s war on Ukraine forcing an historic drop in global fuel production. That’s the macroeconomic view. But what can you do directly to counteract this devastating price pressure on your fleet? Spec for fuel efficiency, yes, but replacing trucks right now may not be an option.
Coaching and Incentivizing Drivers for Higher MPG
The pain at the pump is unflinching as the cost of diesel just keeps spiking. The price inflation of the recovering economy is being greatly exacerbated by Russia’s war on Ukraine forcing an historic drop in global fuel production. That’s the macroeconomic view. But what can you do directly to counteract this devastating price pressure on your fleet? Spec for fuel efficiency, yes, but replacing trucks right now may not be an option.
Electric trucks are hitting the road near you | Virgin
Mike Roeth is the Executive Director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) - an organisation working to drive the development of efficient, environmentally beneficial, and cost-effective tech in the North American freight industry.
How solar-charged HVAC keeps trucking cool
When most businesspeople travel for their jobs, they retire to their hotel room at the end of the day. However, when long-haul truck drivers are finished with their work, they move to the back of their truck cab into what is called the sleeper compartment. Long-haul, over-the-road truck drivers typically are out on the road anywhere from one to three weeks at a time, delivering the goods we need for our daily lives.
Zero-Emissions Trucks Are The Future: Let’s Do This
Batteries Published on July 4th, 2020 | by Rocky Mountain Institute July 4th, 2020 by Rocky Mountain Institute Originally published on the Rocky Mountain Institute’s website. By Mike Roeth and Christian Roselund Last Thursday, California made history by becoming the first state to mandate that truck makers move to zero-emission drivetrains.
Fuel Efficiency in a Time of Cheap Diesel
Photo: Gettyimages.com/herjua During the COVID-19 pandemic, the national average price of diesel fuel has plummeted. In early May, the price was $2.399 per gallon — 77 cents cheaper than a year ago. This may cause some fleets to take their eyes off their fuel economy efforts. However, it is important to remember that regardless of the price of diesel, it still represents a significant expense for fleets.
Fuel Efficiency in a Time of Cheap Diesel
Photo: Gettyimages.com/herjua During the COVID-19 pandemic, the national average price of diesel fuel has plummeted. In early May, the price was $2.399 per gallon — 77 cents cheaper than a year ago. This may cause some fleets to take their eyes off their fuel economy efforts. However, it is important to remember that regardless of the price of diesel, it still represents a significant expense for fleets.
Real-life Lessons for Trucking's Clean Future
Having flown under the radar for decades, the trucking industry more than proved its value during the COVID-19 crisis as hospital, grocery and e-commerce deliveries became critical. With more attention on the industry and its current practices, we want to focus on its future as well. Trucking is ready for a transition to electric vehicles, and that transition is primed to start in the urban and regional-haul segments that’s been so essential for us during the pandemic.
How Will COVID-19 Affect the Development of Electric Trucks?
Electric-truck startups like XOS could be in a good growth position after the COVID-19 outbreak begins to settle out. Photo: Vince Taroc COVID-19 has turned our world upside down and will have ramifications throughout the economy and the trucking industry for months and years to come.
The compelling case for electrifying Santa's 'sleigh'
Online shopping has become a big part of the holiday season in the United States and is continuing to grow; on Black Friday this year, online sales reached a record $6.22 billion, an increase of 23.6 percent over the previous year. Cyber Monday sales hit $7.9 billion, a 19 percent increase from 2017. All in all, online sales are expected to account for 57 percent of purchases this holiday season. This increase makes sense.
There's $24 billion worth of potential in North America's truck fleet
Editor’s Note: Run on Less was a first-of-its-kind cross-country roadshow to showcase advancements in fuel efficiency, organized by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency and Carbon War Room. Read part 1, part 2 and part 3.Over the course of 99 truck days — 17 actual days — seven trucks and seven drivers clearly demonstrated that it is possible to get at least 10 miles from a gallon of diesel fuel in a Class 8 Heavy Duty Tractor.
Here's concrete evidence that 10 MPG is possible for North American fleets
Editor’s Note: Run on Less is a first-of-its-kind cross-country roadshow to showcase advancements in fuel efficiency, organized by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency and Carbon War Room. Read part 1 here and part 2 here.Over halfway through a first-of-its-kind road test of fuel efficiency, the seven participating fleets in Run on Less already have demonstrated that achieving 10 miles per gallon is possible in the real world.
Why autonomous trucks aren't a silver bullet for trucking
Autonomous trucks. Driverless trucks. Robo trucks. The technology that claims it will eliminate the need for drivers is all over mainstream media today.
Top U.S. truck fleets pave way to fuel efficiency
Since the Paris Climate Agreement was ratified in 2016, governments, business and civil society have expanded their commitments to energy transition, acknowledging that efficiency and sustainability are critical to the global economy.
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