Energy consumption and cost savings of truck electrification for heavy-duty vehicle applications

An evaluation was made of the application of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and GenSet plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to Class-7 local delivery trucks and GenSet PHEV for Class-8 utility bucket trucks over widely real-world driving data performed by conventional heavy-duty trucks. GenSet refers to a PHEV range extension mode in which the PHEV engine is used only to generate electricity and charge the battery if the PHEV battery is out of electrical energy. A simulation tool based on vehicle tractive energy methodology and component efficiency for addressing component and system performance was developed to evaluate the energy consumption and performance of the trucks. As part of this analysis, various battery sizes combined with different charging powers on the e-trucks for local delivery, and utility bucket applications were investigated. The results show that the e-truck applications not only reduce energy consumption but also achieve significant energy cost savings. For delivery e-trucks, periodic stops at delivery sites provide sufficient time for battery charging, and for this reason, a high-power charger is not necessary. For utility bucket PHEV trucks, energy consumption per mile of bucket truck operation is typically higher because of longer idling times and extra high idling load associated with heavy utility work. The availability of en route charging is typically lacking at the worksites of bucket trucks; thus, the battery size of these trucks is somewhat larger than that of the delivery trucks studied.