Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/959367
88 commercial carrier journal | april 2018 EQUIPMENT: ELECTRIFICATION Upon inking a sales and service agreement with Chanje last year, Ry- der imported "several container loads of spare parts" for the vans, he says. "We now have those sitting in our distribution centers. We have over- night capabilities for all the parts that could be needed for those vehicles." Toning torque Maintenance savings are bankable only if you're not blowing through your tire bud- get because of the high torque provided by electric trucks. Elon Musk himself describes the performance of his electric Semi tractor in 0-to-60 mph times and lauds its racecar-like handling. However, Nordh says torque will be soware-limited in almost all commer- cial applications, saving tire wear. "e idea that a commercial vehicle needs to be able to overtake vehicles from 0 to 60 is really a consumer concept," he says. "e commercial vehicles we're dealing with have been tuned down to such a degree that it becomes a very capable vehicle from an acceleration perspective, but not something that is going to increase the wear of the tires. We see an equivalent amount of tire wear in the commercial sector going forward." Torque availability can be dialed up through soware tuning, but Nordh says the emphasis to-date has been on extend- ing range rather than boosting output. "If you allow them to drive like a sports car, you're going to reduce that range capability, which is not the goal," he says. While long-haul carriers may not necessarily have to make a business case for electric trucks in the near term, Nordh says it's crucial to research the technology and understand how viable it is across all applications. However, uncontrollable and unpredictable out- side factors – such as the future cost of diesel – can make such research tricky. "In the Class 5 and up market, just the commercial space in general in North America, the financial equation must make sense for adoption to ac- celerate," he says. Nordh suggests looking at historic diesel costs and a given truck's mpg performance, and then consider the additional onsite infrastructure costs, including the charger and power bills. "en it's looking at how many kilo- watt-hours am I going to need," he says. "In my opinion, based on the speed of which battery packs are becoming cheaper, and the speed at which diesel fuel and diesel vehicles continue to become more expensive, it's just a ques- tion of 'when' as opposed to 'if.' " PREMIUM BRANDS. LOCAL EXPERTS. There's no beating the ease of doing business with your trusted local truck parts distributor. As part of North America's Leading Truck Parts Network ® , your local VIPAR Heavy Duty Parts Professional offers the brands you want and the expertise you need, with the strength and resources of a network of over 620 locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. THE RIGHT PEOPLE. THE RIGHT PARTS. THE RIGHT PLACES. FIND A VIPAR HEAVY DUTY PARTS AND SERVICE PROFESSIONAL AT VIPAR.COM VIPAR TTS Parts ad 110816.indd 1 11/8/16 5:48 PM Untitled-70 1 2/14/17 1:50 PM