Truck Electrification Will Require More Than New Models

NACFE’s 2023 Run on Less event will focus on electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The North American Council on Freight Efficiency’s 2023 biannual Run on Less event will focus on fleet scaling considerations such as charging infrastructure, engagement with utilities, total cost of ownership management, driver and technician training, and more. Current sponsors include PepsiCo, Cummins, and Shell. Sponsorship opportunities are available (details below).

An increasing number of fleet owners are thinking about ways in which they can electrify their trucks, and for good reason: electric trucks are less expensive to maintain than their diesel-powered counterparts.

The proliferation of new models that have come onto the market in recent years has also helped spur adoption: research from the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), a fuel-agnostic organization that works to improve freight efficiency, has shown that trucks with routes less than 200 miles a day can be electrified today.

Regulations such as California’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule that requires truck manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of zero-emissions vehicles in the state in the coming years, are also helping accelerate EV adoption, as is legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides up to a $40,000 tax credit for electric medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks.

In addition to helping fleet owners reduce their operating costs, truck electrification will go a long way in reducing freight’s large carbon footprint: Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles account for around 25 percent of the transportation sector’s carbon dioxide emissions in the United States.

Challenges to Freight Electrification

While these positive developments indicate a cleaner, more efficient future for freight, many barriers to truck electrification remain: fleets have reported that one of their chief concerns is whether the electric charging infrastructure will be able to meet increased demands from electric trucks. They also expressed uncertainty about how to scale and finance truck electrification, collaborate with utilities, and install needed infrastructure.

Ways Forward

To address these concerns, NACFE decided to focus on electric depots in its biannual Run on Less event, which demonstrates advances in freight efficiency across the United States.

Each event focuses on specific key challenges. This year’s event, titled “Run on Less – Electric DEPOT” will take place in September 2023 and will feature, over the course of three weeks, eight electric fleet depots that deploy around 15 Class 2b to 8 battery-electric vehicles in a variety of use cases. As in previous Run on Less events, the technology showcased will either be commercially available or representative of manufacturer plans.

The event will also explain fleet scaling considerations such as charging infrastructure, engagement with utilities, total cost of ownership management, and driver and technician training; attendees will be able to learn from fleets, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and utilities that have successfully partnered to advance truck electrification. This year’s event is NACFE’s fourth: previous Run on Less demonstrations took place in 2017, 2019, and 2021.

Ahead of the event, from April to September, NACFE will be hosting a 10-part bootcamp educational series on what fleet managers, utility planners, policymakers, and others need to know to successfully scale electric trucks in fleet operations. The series is free thanks to the support of Run on Less – Electric DEPOT sponsors, which include PepsiCo, Cummins, and Shell.

How to Get Involved

We encourage your attendance at any or all of our events. Register here.

Sponsorship opportunities are available at all levels (Executive, Title, Event, and Supporter) for the Run on Less – Electric DEPOT events. Sponsors will benefit from exposure to a wide audience of industry players including fleets, truck builders, component manufacturers, charging equipment suppliers, regulators, financiers, and a wide array of industry, utility, and national media.

• Executive sponsorship: a seat on the Run on Less – Electric DEPOT Advisory Committee; a speaking role at the banner event; engagement in public relations efforts; recognition at all Run on Less – Electric DEPOT events and webpages
• Title sponsorship: a seat on the Run on Less – Electric DEPOT Advisory Committee; engagement in public relations efforts; recognition at all Run on Less – Electric DEPOT events and webpages
• Event sponsorship: sponsor one Bootcamp episode or a specific part of Run on Less – Electric DEPOT; engagement in public relations efforts; recognition on website and at events
• Supporter sponsorship: recognition on website, press discussions, and at events; access to public relations assets

Why forward-thinking companies have decided to sponsor Run on Less – Electric DEPOT:

“For PepsiCo and Frito-Lay, 2022 was a significant year in the continued transformation of how we deliver our products, with a goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040. As a longtime NACFE partner and Run on Less sponsor, we see immense value in industry collaboration and look forward to sharing firsthand the benefits, challenges, and lessons learned along our journey to adopting and scaling these exciting technologies.” — Mike O’Connell, Vice President, Supply Chain at PepsiCo and former NACFE board chairman

“The Run on Less roadshow presents valuable learning and collaboration opportunities for fleets, OEMs, suppliers, and the industry at large. The opportunity to share insights and help more fleets embrace zero-emission technologies benefits not only our customers and partners, but also our communities and the environment.” — Amanda Phillips, North American Regional Lead for Cummins-Meritor

“The Run on Less initiative aligns with our ambition to help decarbonize the commercial road transport sector. The Run demonstrates real-world actions being taken by leading fleet companies who are emerging as industry trailblazers through their collaborative solutions to sustainability challenges.” — Tim Murray, General Manager of Shell’s Commercial Road Transport Business

Learn more about the benefits of these different levels of sponsorship and past event successes here. Contact Dave Schaller at david.schaller@nacfe.org to learn what sponsorship level makes the most sense for your organization.

About the North American Council for Freight Efficiency

NACFE, The North American Council for Freight Efficiency, works to drive the development and adoption of efficiency-enhancing, environmentally beneficial, and cost-effective technologies, services, and methodologies in the North American freight industry.

An unbiased and fuel-agnostic organization, NACFE communicates the benefits, challenges, and payback of investing in various fuel-efficiency options summarizing the confidence fleets should have in adoption. NACFE is an effort for fleets, manufacturers, vehicle builders, and other government and nongovernmental organizations to come together to improve North American goods movement.