NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS IN THE WORLD OF TRANSPORTATION AND ENERGY - ELECTRIC TRUCKS

?????????????? The issue of electric vehicles, which has occupied the public agenda impressively lately due to the impact of climate change, is generally addressed for automobiles. The electric car market is growing exponentially, with sales to exceed 10 million units by 2022. The share of electric cars in total sales more than tripled in three years, from around 4% in 2020 to 14% in 2022, and electric car sales increased to 14% in 2022.

This trend is expected to continue strongly in 2023 and the following years. We know that in addition to cars, sometimes buses are also mentioned. However, we do not hear much public discussion of the transition to electric propulsion for heavy vehicles and even more so for heavy-duty machines. However, there are important developments in this field as well.

ELECTRIC TRUCK MARKET

As it is known, electric cars constitute an important step in reducing the emissions of short-distance road transportation in the process of reducing global carbon emissions. However, the condition of buses and trucks used in long-distance road transportation is at least as important.

Tailpipe CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles have been increasing rapidly since 2000, with trucks accounting for more than 80% of this growth. Vehicle efficiency standards and efforts to improve logistics and operational efficiency are needed to slow rising emissions. To reach the Net Zero Carbon Emissions Scenario milestones, heavy-duty vehicle emissions must begin to fall rapidly over the next decade. According to the International Energy Agency IEA, approximately 66,000 electric buses and 60,000 medium and heavy-duty trucks were sold worldwide in 2022; this figure represents approximately 4.5% of all bus sales and 1.2% of truck sales worldwide. Electric bus sales also appear to reach higher shares in places where governments have committed to reducing emissions from public transport, such as dense urban areas; For example, in Finland, the rate of electric bus sales was over 65% in 2022.

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A total of 27 governments worldwide have pledged to reach 100% ZEV bus and truck sales by 2040, and both the United States and the European Union are introducing stronger emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles. For this reason, it is observed that the trend towards the electrification of heavy vehicles is accelerating. China continues to dominate the production and sales of electric trucks and buses. 54,000 new electric buses and an estimated 52,000 electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks were sold in China in 2022; this represents 18% and 4% of total sales in China and approximately 80% and 85% of global sales, respectively. Approximately 220 electric heavy-duty vehicle models entered the market in 2022, bringing the total number to over 800 models offered by over 100 OEMs. If we look at the sales in the European market, we can say that one of the leading brands in terms of sales is Renault Trucks and Volvo. The group that comes after Volvo is TRATON, which is actually a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. In European heavy-duty truck sales, DAIMLER ranks third and IVECO ranks fourth. In addition to these big brands, independent manufacturers are trying to find a place for themselves in this market. One of the most notable independents is a company operating in Switzerland called E-Force One.

RENAULT TRUCKS

Renault Trucks, part of Volvo, started selling an electric version of its Maxity small truck in 2010. Renault Trucks became the first company to produce heavy-duty trucks, with three electric Renault Midlum prototypes and a Renault D that were subsequently tested in real conditions by different customers (Carrefour, Nestlé, Guerlain) over several years between 2012 and 2016.

Renault Trucks offered all models of its fully electric product range for heavy duty to customers in November 2022. Renault Trucks E-Tech T and C models for regional distribution and construction will be mass produced at the company's factory in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, starting from 2023.

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TRATON

Traton SE, known as Traton Group (formerly Volkswagen Truck & Bus AG), is a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group and one of the world's largest commercial vehicle manufacturers with its brands MAN, Scania, Navistar and Volkswagen Caminh?es e ?nibus. The company also has RIO-branded digital services. The group sold approximately 190,200 vehicles worldwide in 2020. Although they only produce buses in their factory in Ankara, Turkey, their product range includes light, medium and heavy duty trucks as well as pickup trucks. SCANIA, one of the important brands of this group, offers a rechargeable hybrid solution for long-distance transportation in its product range. In addition to this solution, which provides an electric range of up to 60 kilometers with a 45 kilowatt battery, Fulya Electricity also has models recommended for regional transportation. These models promise a range of 250 to 400 km with batteries ranging from 3 to 600 kilowatts. We should point out that the carrying capacity of these trucks is up to 72 tons in total, depending on the vehicle weight. Available in L and P series fixed format, the fully electric Scania truck is available with a 165 or 300 kilowatt hour (kWh) battery pack to power a 230 kilowatt (kW) electric motor, equal to approximately 310 horsepower. Five battery packs are used for 165 kWh and nine battery packs are used for 300 kWh. Since there is no internal combustion engine, one battery is placed in the engine area and the remaining four or eight batteries are placed inside the chassis. In 300 kWh format, a range of up to 250 kilometers can be provided on a single charge. [i]

E-FORCE ONE

In January 2014, Swiss brand E FORCE started the project of a 16-ton electric truck with a replaceable battery. According to the project, they planned to meet some of the electrical energy needs by placing 18 square meters of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the vehicle. The battery of the truck is designed with a capacity of 300 kWh. It is reported that in its current state, solar panels and the regenerative braking system (the system that recovers the kinetic energy of the wheels, that is, the energy of the rotational movement, during braking) provide 23 percent of the total energy need. The total range of the vehicle on one charge is given as 240 kilometers, and the energy consumption is defined as 130 kWh per 100 km. The truck is based on an Iveco Stralis chassis; Its weight is given as 8 tons, its gross weight is 18 tons and its cost is 380,000 Swiss francs. At this price level, it is sold as approximately twice as expensive as the existing diesel version. The operating price of the truck is 10 francs per 100 kilometers; this is much lower than the diesel version, which costs 50 francs per 100 kilometres. The truck has two LiFePO4 batteries with a capacity of 120 kWh and a weight of 1300 kg, and this battery can be replaced in a total of 10 minutes.

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[i] More information is available there for Scania trucks : ??https://trans.info/a-full-electric-and-a-plug-in-hybrid-truck-by-scania-check-out-their-range-199964 ?

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