Electric Truck Market Considers Infrastructure Reality

Electric truck market growth is poised to accelerate even as infrastructure constraints hinder that trajectory, according to experts.

“We’ll continue to see a growing demand,” Jared Ruiz, vice president of the west region at Volvo Trucks North America, said. “Obviously, if you look at the total heavy-duty truck market in North America, it’s still a very small percentage today. But it’s definitely growing. I think it’ll continue to escalate upward.”

ACT Research and Rhein Associates said in a joint preliminary report March 8 that battery-electric truck production is expected to triple year-over-year in 2023. Markets and Markets said in a report March 23 that the global electric truck market is estimated to grow from 101,499 units in 2022 to 1,067,985 units by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate of 34.2%.

“I think the growth is going to accelerate,” Dan O’Shea, vice president of business development at the electric vehicle charging company ABB E-mobility, said. “We’re anticipating a pretty steep increase in trucks including Class 8 cabs. There are some potential limiting factors, supply chain issues and things like that, the economy. These are things that we can’t really predict.”

The expected increase in electric truck production has coincided with industry groups refocusing their efforts on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. American Trucking Associations announced the launch of the Clean Freight Coalition on March 23. Cummins Inc. launched a new brand called Accelera a couple weeks prior to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy solutions.

“End user are out there and they’re experiencing this technology and they’re understanding the positive impact it can have on their overall operations,” Brian Wilson, general manager of electrified components at Accelera by Cummins, said. “We feel the exact same way that we’re on the precipice of markets starting to turn pretty drastically to battery electric or fuel cell electric technology.”

Joel Morrow of Alpha Drivers Testing & Consulting traveled across America asking one simple question: What if a trucker designed a truck? Hear the program above and at RoadSigns.TTNews.com.

Wilson noted that the launch of the new brand was in part a response to the shifting market. He noted that customers aren’t just interested in the operational benefits of these technologies but also the environmental impact.

“You’ve got a couple different growth curves,” Ruiz said. “You’ve got the demand and I think that’s going to continue to go up pretty steadily and increase faster and faster. I think the actual growth from customer operations is going to be tempered by the charging infrastructure.”

The U.S. signed onto a nonbinding international agreement late last year that aims to make all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicle zero-emission by 2040. But there has been doubt over whether such a goal is realistic. The Truckload Carriers Association pointed out an electric truck that can handle the longhaul segment has yet to be invented.

“These trucks just can’t hold the charge for that long,” Dave Heller, senior vice president of government affairs at TCA, said. “Problem No. 2, obviously, is going to be the availability of charging stations. That becomes problem No. 2 because obviously the infrastructure has yet to be laid out that can really pacify the needs of the industry.”

Heller does still believe the electric truck market will see some gains. But he sees that as catering more to last-mile and regional-haul operations and even then, charging station availability and electrical output will remain issues. O’Shea believes the charging infrastructure will be able to keep up with anticipated growth.

“We’re not going to lean out too far in production and sales ahead of the availability of vehicles,” O’Shea said. “We’re going to try to work in line with those growth projections. You’ve seen the news about our new factory in South Carolina, which is set to produce 180 kilowatt chargers. These are primarily at this point for the public charging market.”

Ruiz pointed out that carriers must consider whether their utility provider can actually supply them the energy required for the numbers of charging stations they want if they plan to build them on site, as well as software requirements and the type of maintenance work that would need to be done.

“I wouldn’t say it’s just production,” Ruiz said. “It’s the whole infrastructure chain really. All the layers that go into that are going to, I would say, slow the curve comparatively to the demand. I think that’s some of the reality that we’re seeing in the market, on the ground in real life with customers. I think a lot of the customers have much grander goals to move faster. But that’s limiting how fast they can scale up.”

Wilson doesn’t expect the change to happen all overnight. But he believes that for certain operations the time is right to start adopting on a wider scale. He also pointed out there are market and government incentives that are pushing in that direction.

“We’re getting smarter about the designs and the technology required,” Wilson said. “We’re designing better systems, which are more cost-effective systems. In addition, those systems are being further refined for the specific use case in the commercial vehicle market.”

Kenworth and Platform Science Announce Partnership To Integrate Virtual Vehicle Solution in Kenworth Trucks

Kenworth and Platform Science announced on January 19th 2022 a partnership that will integrate Platform Science’s
Virtual Vehicle™ platform into Kenworth trucks using factory installed telematics hardware.

“TruckTech+ has built a great foundation for the Kenworth connected vehicle since 2017. Through this partnership
Kenworth will expand its telematics system to provide customers with third party applications through the Virtual
Vehicle platform,” said Kevin Baney, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president. “Fleets will benefit
from enhanced operating efficiencies through access to software solutions, real-time vehicle data, and third party
applications directly from their connected Kenworth trucks.”

The Virtual Vehicle platform provides many productivity, flexibility, accessibility and cost effectiveness benefits to
fleets.

Productivity: Factory-installed telematics hardware enables fleets to maximize uptime by avoiding installation
delays and costs for complementary hardware.
Flexibility: Virtual Vehicle allows fleets to create a software experience catered to individual business needs through
a growing pipeline of developer-created innovations.
Accessibility: Virtual Vehicle leverages edge, cloud and in-dash data to optimize networks, keeping data available
24/7/365, even when fleets are offline.

Cost Effectiveness: Users of participating applications on Virtual Vehicle benefit from usage-based billing.
“Virtual Vehicle unlocks new ways for fleets to innovate with a platform that offers real-time insights and combines
accessibility, flexibility and compatibility to ensure a driver-first experience,” said Jack Kennedy, co-founder and
CEO, Platform Science. “Kenworth is a long-time leader in designing, developing and manufacturing world-class
transportation solutions, and we are proud to collaborate with their team to integrate this platform into their
medium and heavy duty trucks.”

The new suite of services will launch in 2024 for Kenworth’s Class 8 T680, T880 and W990 models and medium duty
T180, T280, T380 and T480 models.

Sales Orders a Half-Century Ago

Ever wonder what a sales order looked like before the advent of electronic orders? Nearly 50 years ago the Dealer
Truck Purchase Order (DTPO) was a paper document a few pages in length … sometimes hand written sometimes
typed. They were often a challenge to decipher, especially if they had been through a Fax machine or a copier a few
times. The first stop in the process was the Applications Engineering group who reviewed the order for component
compatibility. Any calculations that were needed were done by hand. A four-function calculator was a big deal at
the time, and personal computers were way off in the future.

After approval by Applications, the orders went to a team who would read the sales order and markup a mainframe
computer generated paper questionnaire itemizing the components specified. These paper forms were then given
to a crew of key punch card operators who manually entered the data into the mainframe for processing. From this
input, a preliminary list of parts (Bills of Material) were selected. A paper copy of this list and the description of each
Bill selected for the truck was reviewed for missing or duplicate Bills and custom engineering design information
was incorporated into the package. The result of this process would be a chassis jacket of information for use on the
factory floor.

All these processes still take place today in our back-office digital environment that is highly automated. Computers
have dramatically changed our ability to thoroughly check for order compatibility and completeness, making for a
better quality product for our customers. As always, feel free to contact Division Applications Engineering via email
at KW.Tech.Supt@PACCAR.com or by call our support hotline at 425-828-5999.

History of Emissions Reduction

Kenworth has a full line of battery electric trucks including the K270E, K370E and T680E. Kenworth has a long
history of innovating to reduce emissions and explore alternative fuels. Kenworth developed and built LNG and
CNG powered trucks in the mid 1990’s and in 1996, Kenworth sold its first 10 Liquid Natural Gas trucks to Jack
B. Kelly Company.

In 2007, Kenworth released its first hybrid as an optional powertrain on the T300 model. Dunn Lumber
of Seattle was the first customer to run the technology that combined a 240 hp PX-6 diesel engine with
transmission mounted motor/generator. The trucks saw up to 30 percent fuel economy benefit in some
applications.

In 2016, Kenworth built two proof of concept trucks to test in Southern California Ports. One was a T680
with a CNG/Hybrid electric powertrain (HECT), and the other a T680 with a zero emission Hydrogen Fuel Cell
powertrain (ZECT). Early development of Hydrogen Fuel Cell powertrains helped Kenworth embark on a 10-truck
pilot program in the Port of LA in 2019. The ZANZEFF Shore to Store program funded 10 trucks to operate in
drayage applications and compile valuable data on zero emission technology in real world operations.

Today Kenworth offers a full-service solution for converting fleets to zero emissions, including battery electric
trucks, charging infrastructure and grant funding specialist to consult on purchases.

MX Engines, Powering Kenworth for Decades

When PACCAR purchased DAF in 1996 a rich history of engine development was also inherited. DAF began
developing engines in 1957 with the DD575. Just a short two years later, the first turbo charger was added to the
engine, a groundbreaking achievement for the time. PACCAR built on this foundational knowledge in the late 90s and
early 2000s to begin development on an engine platform that would perform for the European and North American
markets. In 2007, ground was broken on a 420,000 square foot engine manufacturing facility in Columbus, MS. This
was a $400 million investment in the future of PACCAR engines. In 2010 the MX-13 was launched in North America.

Costco Wholesale became the first customer of Kenworth to operate the MX-13 engine. In 2015 the MX-11 was added
to the PACCAR engine portfolio, giving weight sensitive applications an efficient option. By the end of 2022, more
than 300,000 PACCAR engines had been produced at the Columbus, MS engine plant. The MX engine has been a key
contributor to Kenworth’s 100 years of history and a welcome partnership for years to come.

Limited Edition W900

Kenworth is celebrating its 100th anniversary throughout 2023. In celebration, Kenworth is releasing the LimitedEdition Kenworth 100 W900. This package highlights detail throughout the interior and is sure to instill pride in
anyone driving this truck, making it perfect for Kenworth enthusiast owner operators or fleets looking to provide the
ultimate reward truck to their top driver!

The Limited-Edition Kenworth 100 W900 is available in the following configurations: Extended Day Cab, AeroCab®
72in Flat Top Sleeper, and 86in AeroCab® AERODYNE® Studio Sleeper. This package includes the following special
edition components: seats, Diamond VIT interior, platinum brushed dash and door trim, sunvisor, and paint scheme.
The following special edition content is optional based on the configuration that is specified: exhaust shields,
wheels, and paint

Signature Edition T680

Kenworth is celebrating its 100th anniversary throughout the year 2023. To commemorate the anniversary, Kenworth
is releasing the Signature Edition Kenworth 100 T680. This package is designed with carefully curated details that
will be sure to impress, making it perfect for proud owner operators or fleets looking to provide a reward truck to
their top drivers!

The Signature Edition Kenworth 100 T680 is available with 76” mid or high-roof sleeper. This package includes
the following special edition components: seats, Diamond VIT interior, brushed platinum door and dash trim, and
steering wheel. The following special edition content is optional based on the configuration that is specified: exhaust
shield, wheels, and paint. Full details for each special edition item are outlined on the next page.

Cummins offers update to aftermarket on Meritor’s corporate integration

Executives from Cummins and Meritor offered clarity on the aftermarket’s biggest acquisition of 2022 last week during Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) 2023 in Grapevine, Texas.

Finalized last August, Cummins’ purchase of Meritor sent shockwaves throughout the trucking industry. In the aftermarket, where Meritor has long served as one of the sector’s largest and most diverse manufacturers, distributors have waited eagerly to learn how their partnership with the vendor would evolve as it is integrated into Cummins.

During Meritor’s annual press luncheon at HDAW, Cummins-Meritor executives Alan Rabadi and Joe Mejaly were excited to unveil the future of Meritor, and how the integration is progressing. The mood was positive.

The duo said they believe Meritor’s integration into Cummins is progressing nicely; the two operations complement each other well and stand to both benefit as a single entity moving forward. Rabadi says Cummins and Meritor have long histories as great companies and moving forward the organization believes they can succeed in meeting their tagline of “better together.”

“Customers will win from this integration,” says Rabadi, who serves as Cummins’ General Manager of Global Aftermarket. Citing enhanced engineering, technological expertise and supplier relationships as just a few areas where the transaction has created a single entity, Rabadi says the combined entity is already a stronger, more nimble operation than the two businesses were last year.

From an operational perspective, Rabadi says Meritor’s business will exist within Cummins’ Components operating segment, one of five overall business units. The business will be known as Cummins-Meritor at an operating level, but Meritor’s aftermarket branding will remain unchanged. Meritor also will maintain its Euclid brand, and both Meritor and Cummins’ sales teams and aftermarket product portfolios will see no alterations.

“Our collective field sales team is a differentiating advantage we plan to continue leveraging to maximize customer service,” the company says. “We’re still evaluating our collective assets and monitoring to see what is best for customers, but at the moment, there are no planned near term changes.”

Regarding Euclid in particular, Mejaly says the company hopes to make the established brand “the distributor’s private label product line,” and says Cummins is committed to sustaining and supporting the brand in the aftermarket. The combined company’s decision to maintain both Meritor and Cummins’ aftermarket product lines only further confirms that commitment, the company says.

“We will continue to look for opportunity and leverage strengths from both businesses. In summary, we will continue to service the market as we have been,” Cummins-Meritor says.

Mejaly, who rejoined Meritor as vice president of North America Aftermarket in 2021 after nine years away, adds he’s been impressed by how cautiously and judiciously Cummins is managing the absorption of Meritor’s business.

“It has been a pleasure to work with our new friends at Cummins,” he says. “They are taking their time to understand the change that’s taking place and our business. They are invested in tomorrow.”

One place where Cummins’ investment is already visible is Meritor’s online sales portal. Since the acquisition was finalized, Meritor Parts Xpress (MPX) has experienced increased site speeds, seen an introduction of more than 100,000 part cross references, improved home page visuals and user experience, expanded search options, partnered with OptiCat and more.

“The new, combined company does not initially change the strategy for MPX. We have invested heavily over the years to make this a customer friendly, industry best tool,” the company says.

To date there have been no changes to Meritor’s distribution center network either, though the company does acknowledge that is an area of the business under evaluation.

“We are currently investigating integration opportunities that improve service levels, and that is our mission moving forward. We are focusing on two areas that benefit customers: saving on cost of operations and servicing customers faster,” the company states. “We are investigating opportunities globally to service customers even better. We are still evaluating many opportunities but have not executed on them yet.”

EPA’s new HD emissions rules push manufacturers and fleets to plan ahead

Jan. 25, 2023

Expect to see new engine and aftertreatment hardware to go with advanced software and technology as the industry prepares for stricter heavy-duty engine and vehicle standards, which the EPA will officially start imposing in 2027.      – Josh Fisher

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published its final new rule for heavy-duty engines and vehicles in the Federal Register on Jan. 24, officially creating more stringent emissions rules for truck OEMs. As manufacturers refine and develop the technology to meet the next step of the EPA’s Clean Truck Plan, fleets should consider how it affects their operations.

With the new emissions rules beginning with model year 2027 large trucks and engines, now is the time for fleets to start planning procurement strategies, according to Dan Porterfield, SVP of maintenance and equipment control at Covenant Logistics. He noted that diesel has been the fuel of choice in the trucking industry because it’s “very, very cheap to operate.”

“As we keep adding regulations to the diesel engines, that makes them more expensive to operate,” Porterfield said during American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference and Exhibition late last year. “Diesel parity isn’t necessarily coming because the other (fuel sources) are getting cheaper; it is because diesel is getting more expensive.”

He expects new heavy-duty regulations, like the EPA published this week, will push fleets to look more closely at alternative fuels and how they work. “You need to start planning ahead,” Porterfield advised fleet leaders. “This is going to be coming out fast. You need to be thinking about how to get information, knowledge, and skills.”

New HD standards mean new technology

Engine manufacturers will be responsible for certification and compliance with the latest heavy-duty standards, which will require new technology—both hardware and software, according to Matthew Spears, executive director for global regulatory affairs at Cummins, which is among the largest producers of Class 8 engines in the U.S.

Spears said engine-makers such as Cummins should have enough lead time to develop and launch new products to comply with EPA’s 2027 timeline. “You can definitely expect to see new engine hardware and new aftertreatment hardware,” he said during the same ATA panel before the EPA finalized its rule. “There are a number of technology paths that could or should be available to comply.”

In 2022, the Southwest Research Institute demonstrated the effectiveness of its Catalyzed Diesel Exhaust Fluid technology, known as CAT-DEF, which is an institute-developed catalyst- and surfactant-modified diesel exhaust fluid solution. According to the institute, SRI’s novel technology decreases NOx and carbon dioxide emissions for diesel engines by significantly reducing undesirable deposit formation in exhaust systems.

“Although DEF technology has been utilized for more than a decade, the highest emissions control efficiencies could never be realized due to DEF’s tendency to create potentially harmful deposits in the exhaust system, particularly when the engine is operated at low loads and temperatures,” said Dr. Charles E. Roberts Jr., director of SRI’s Commercial Vehicle Systems Department. “A combination of surface-active agents and heterogenous catalysts blended into CAT-DEF reduces deposits by 90% with potential reductions up to 98%.”

Spears said the institute used a Cummins X15 as the base engine for its technology, modified with a different valve train that allowed for cylinder deactivation. The institute also added a second aftertreatment system on the upstream selective catalytic reduction (SCR) between the turbocharger outlet and diesel particulate filter.

“So they had two SCR systems and cylinder deactivation—it was a much larger system as well,” Spear explained. “I’m not going to get into specifics of what technologies other manufacturers or Cummins might be looking at, but we have to take a hard look at that type of technology to consider what might be needed in order to comply.”

Hardware changes, such as this, and other new technologies “might be coming your way in the 2027 timeframe,” Spear said in October. “With the new hardware and lower NOx emissions requirements, we can expect DEF consumption to go up somewhat but not that significant because we’re already using DEF to get very, very significant, 90-plus percent reductions in NOx. Getting that extra 5% is going to translate into additional DEF consumption.”

Spears said he doesn’t anticipate this kind of technology interrupting fleet operations. For example, truck engines would not need to run idle for a more extended period before becoming EPA-compliant.

‘Strongest-ever’ national air standards

After initially announcing the new emissions rules on Dec. 20, the finalized regulations for heavy-duty trucks and engines apply to model year 2027 equipment were published in the Federal Register on Jan. 24. They take effect 60 days later on March 27 with the goal of reducing air pollution—including pollutants that create ozone and particulate matter—from large trucks.

According to the published rules, the emission reductions will increase over time as more new, cleaner vehicles enter the market.

“We estimate that the final rule will reduce [NOx] emissions from heavy-duty vehicles in 2040 by more than 40%; by 2045, a year by which most of the regulated fleet will have turned over, heavy-duty NOX emissions will be almost 50% lower than they would have been without this action,” according to an EPA summary within the final rulemaking.

The new standards require heavy-duty commercial vehicles to limit NOx emissions to 0.035 grams per horsepower-hour during normal operation, 0.050 grams at low load, and 10 grams at idle. According to the latest regulations, warranties will be extended to 450,000 miles from 100,000 miles and the useful life of a covered commercial vehicle to 650,000 miles from 435,000 miles.

The new rules also are the first move in EPA’s three-step Clean Truck Plan to be followed by proposed Phase 3 GHG standards for heavy-duty vehicles beginning in model year 2027 and multipollutant standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles starting with that same model year.

The final EPA commercial vehicle regulation includes new, more stringent emissions standards covering a more comprehensive range of heavy-duty engine operating conditions than today’s standards. According to an EPA rule summary published on its website, it requires these stricter emissions standards to be met for a longer time when these engines operate on the road.

This final rule is compatible with President Biden’s executive order, “Strengthening American Leadership in Clean Cars and Trucks,” and is the first step in the federal Clean Trucks Plan, according to the EPA. In addition, the final rule includes other limited amendments to the regulations that implement air pollutant emission standards for different sectors (e.g., light-duty vehicles, marine diesel engines, locomotives, various types of nonroad engines, cars, and equipment).

Relative to current rules, the new standards are more than 80% stronger, increase the useful life of governed commercial vehicles by 1.5–2.5 times, and would yield emissions warranties that are 2.8–4.5 times longer, according to EPA. This final rule includes provisions for longer functional life and warranty periods. These provisions guarantee that as target vehicles age, they would continue to meet EPA’s more stringent emissions standards for extended periods.

The rule also requires manufacturers to ensure that vehicle engines and emission control systems work correctly on the road. For example, manufacturers must demonstrate that engines are designed to prevent vehicle drivers from tampering with emission controls by limiting tamper-prone access to electronic pollution controls.

Kenworth T680 Next Generation Offers Advanced Driver Assistance System Technology

The new Kenworth T680 Next Generation is available with the optional Torque Assisted Steering and Lane Keeping Assist as part of Kenworth’s suite of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) technologies.

The new Torque Assisted Steering is designed to reduce driver fatigue by providing additional torque to the steering column. The amount of torque assist is based on vehicle speed, with higher speeds resulting in less assistance and a tighter steering feel. Drivers traveling at low speeds will notice a lighter steering feel and more torque assist. The system adjusts accordingly to varying driving conditions and applies necessary torque to best handle adverse driving conditions such as heavy crosswinds.

The Lane Keeping Assist option is designed to help drivers stay in their lane. The system uses camera input to identify when the truck is departing the lane and provides a “nudge” to correct the direction of the truck. The feature requires Bendix® Fusion® and comes with Torque Assisted Steering.

“Kenworth continues to roll out new technologies that benefit our customers,” said Joe Adams, Kenworth’s chief engineer. “In testing these new systems, we’re confident that they’ll improve the overall driving experience by reducing fatigue and stress.”

Other advanced driver assistance technology available for the Kenworth T680 Next Gen includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Collision Mitigation, and Side Object Detection.

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is integrated with your standard cruise control, and “reads” traffic conditions via a front-facing radar sensor and modulates the throttle and the brakes to keep the truck at a pre-set distance from the vehicle in front of it. Then, when the slowdowns clear, the system re-accelerates the vehicle back to the set speed.

Kenworth’s Lane Departure Warning system helps combat lane drift due to fatigue and distractions. When activated, the system continually monitors the truck’s location related to lane markings and automatically emits a distinctive audible warning whenever an unintended lane change (unsignaled) is detected – alerting the driver to make a correction.

The Kenworth Collision Mitigation system detects when the truck may be about to collide with another vehicle or object, alerts and assists the driver by taking pre-emptive braking action – when necessary – helping the driver potentially avoid or reduce the severity of a collision.

Kenworth’s Side Object Detection system continuously monitors the passenger side of the truck, and provides the driver with audible and visual alerts when an object or vehicle has entered certain zones.

Kenworth is The Driver’s Truck™. See what drivers are saying at http://www.kenworth.com/drivers.

Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth’s Internet home page is at http://www.kenworth.com. Kenworth is a PACCAR company.

*Individual fuel economy improvement will vary depending on use, road conditions and other factors.