While the U.S. might have hit some stumbling blocks on the way to a cleaner freight future, I was heartened to learn that while some multinational companies have reduced their commitment to climate improvement, others are sticking with their long-range plans and continue to invest in clean technology.
Many companies have recommitted to decarbonizing their operations, in part because they still face pressure from state and local governments as well as from customers and stockholders that want them to continue their efforts to reduce their impact on the environment. And I would like to think—and this is pure speculation on my part—they are continuing these efforts because they know it is the right thing to do.
For the book Multilevel Governance, Public Policy, and Global Climate Action, author Lily Hsueh interviewed executives and analyzed corporate climate actions and environmental performance of Global 500 and S&P 500 companies. She is quoted as saying, “These companies' climate decisions are driven by a complex interplay of pressures from existing and future laws and the need to earn goodwill with employees, customers, investors, regulators and others.”
That resonated with me. There are many factors that go into the decision to invest in clean technology, not the least of which is maintaining profitability. It serves no one to have a fleet spend money on a new technology only to end up bankrupt because the total cost of ownership (TCO) equation did not work out over the life of the vehicle.
A poor TCO is sometimes the result of the wrong equipment in the wrong application. That is why, for some time now, NACFE has talked about the importance of finding the right technology for the right duty cycle. That advice is based in large part on making the numbers work in the fleet’s favor.
And we have empirical evidence—through our Run on Less demonstrations—of duty cycles where alternative-fueled vehicles are meeting fleet expectations and where traditional diesel engines are getting way beyond the national average of 7 mpg.
We recently published the dataset from Run on Less – Messy Middle. The dataset is available for free download, and since this Run featured a wide range of powertrain options, you can gain valuable insight into how diesel, natural gas, battery-electric, and hydrogen fuel trucks performed hauling real freight over the course of three weeks in September.
We also have datasets and reports from previous Runs that show the benefits and challenges of the various powertrains and the duty cycles where the technology is performing well and achieving good TCOs.
We are on the road to a cleaner freight future, and while it might take a little longer than we expected, it was uplifting to learn that some fleets are continuing their clean transportation journey. As those fleets continue to have success with alternative-fueled trucks, I am confident that more fleets invest in these new technologies—not just because it is the right thing to do but because they work.
