NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS IN THE WORLD OF TRANSPORTATION AND ENERGY
USA, CHINA and COAL POWER PLANTS
The USA has joined the bandwagon of countries that have pledged to abandon coal energy to generate electricity as part of the fight against climate change. The United States has now announced its commitment to phase out coal plants, joining 56 other countries that have made similar commitments to eliminate coal . This should be seen as a key milestone because it means that a country that has been responsible for the largest carbon emissions in recent years moves away from power plants emitting vast amount of carbon.
However, it is not yet possible to make the same determination for China. Global Energy Monitor -an independent organization- reports that China plans construction of 2 coal power plants every week in 2022. Global Energy Monitor (GEM) is known as a San Francisco-based non-governmental organization that catalogs fossil fuel and renewable energy projects around the world. GEM shares information supporting clean energy in its publications, and its published data and reports on energy trends are widely cited by governments, media organizations, and academic researchers.
After China and India, Turkey ranks third in coal power plant capacity projects. However, approximately 11 GW of projects announced as of 2022, for which a preliminary license or license has been obtained, experience financing problems. Ongoing projects as well as the ones in the plans have encountered various legal obstacles. Finally, the Emba Hunutlu Power Plant, the only coal power plant commissioned in 2022, will likely be one of the last overseas coal plants financed by China. The future of many other projects remains uncertain. Turkey's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources plans to add over 65 GW of renewable energy installed capacity to the grid by 2035, shedding light on the transition to sustainable energy. The Ministry aims to add only 3.2 GW of coal installed capacity during this period. The difference between the projects currently under development (about 11 GW) and the Ministry's projects shows that many projects may be canceled in the next decade. It is predicted that Turkey's tendency to cancel coal-based thermal projects that started in 2016 will continue.
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Source: Global Energy Monitor 2023 Report
ELECTRIC TRUCKS
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The issue of electric vehicles, which takes impressive place recently in the public agenda? due to the impact on climate change, is generally addressed for automobiles. The electric car market grows exponentially, exceeding 10 million units in sales by 2022. The share of electric cars in total sales is more than tripled in three years, from around 4% in 2020 to 14% in 2022, and electric car sales itself increased to 14% in 2022.
This trend is expected to continue strongly in 2023 and beyond. Also, in addition to cars, sometimes buses are on the spot as well. However, we do not hear much of a public discussion around the transition to electric propulsion for heavy vehicles and even more so for heavy-duty machines. However, there are important progresses in this field as well.
ELECTRIC TRUCK MARKET
As known, electric cars plays an important role in reducing the emissions of short-distance road transportation to support global carbon emissions reduction. Having said so, the condition of buses and trucks used in long-distance road transportation is at least as important.
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Tailpipe CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles have been increasing rapidly since 2000, with trucks having more than 80% of this growth. Vehicle efficiency standards and efforts to improve logistics and operational efficiency are needed to slow down increasing 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 seem to reach higher shares in countries 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 introduce stronger emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles. Due to this particular reason, the trend towards the electrification of heavy vehicles seem to get accelerated. 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. We can say that one of the leading brands is Renault Trucks and Volvo. Ford and Daimler have also offered their electric trucks to customers. In addition to these major brands, independent manufacturers try to create place for themselves in the market. Amongst many, one of the most notable independent manufacturers is E-Force One, a company operating in Switzerland.
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 launched 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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E-FORCE ONE
In January 2014, Swiss brand E FORCE kicked-off the project for 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. This price level takes it twice as expensive as its 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 2 LiFePO4 batteries with a capacity of 120 kWh and a weight of 1300 kg, and this battery can be charged fully in 10 minutes..
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