Electric trucks may be future of trucking

Electric trucks may play a large role in the future of the trucking industry, if companies are swayed by a recent report by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The researchers found that fleet management efforts could be enhanced with electric trucks, which allow for better cost efficiency than diesel fuel vehicles, which is what many trucking companies rely on across the United States.

"There has to be a good business case if there is going to be more adoption of electric vehicles," said Jarrod Genteel, co-author of the study. "We think it's already a viable economic model, and as battery costs continue to drop, the case will only get better."

However, the study also found that electric truck may only be able to be used by urban fleets because electric trucks wouldn't have the battery life to run on the nation's highways.

Research still needs to be done to create electric trucks that can travel on the interstate highways; however, the Chicago Tribune reported this year's Chicago Auto Show features many innovations in the electric vehicle industry.

According to the newspaper, electric car charging has come a long way, with the Chicago area having more than 100 different places drivers can go to charge their vehicle.

Electric trucks may be future of trucking

Friday, February 10th, 2012