E-Trucks face recharging challenges

AUSTRALIA could learn from the overseas experience in relation to EV truck recharging as the process is dramatically ratcheted up when compared to replenishing an electric car because every facet is of a much greater scale.

Providing adequate truck recharge facilities is an expensive game as they take up more real estate than a regular service station and are ‘next level’ heavy-duty in terms of their power demands, which experts say require grid infrastructure similar to that which feeds a factory.

A large and busy service area providing charging facilities for all road vehicle types will go from the equivalent energy consumption of a professional sports stadium to that of a small town – and it is feared that the market for the vehicles will move faster than the underlying grid infrastructure is able to develop.

The current crop of electric trucks overseas (mainly Europe, China and the United States) have ranges of between 320km and 800 km on a single charge, which is considered acceptable for local and regional routes, but falls short for over the road (OTR) hauls that can sometimes exceed 1600km.

Fast charging is possible with many electric trucks but there are few public fast-charging stations for them, meaning the cost of installing depot chargers in a back-to-base scenario must also be factored into the spreadsheets of fleet managers considering the switch away from diesel.

The challenge is how quickly high-speed public chargers will need to deliver electricity at a single place and time (the power supply) and where to build them – often in remote highway locations.

Experts say the easiest way to imagine the problem is to think of electricity like water flowing through a hose. It would take a few months to fill an Olympic pool with a garden hose but a fire hose would fill it in a few hours.

Building on that analogy, in the world of EVs, a semi-trailer is like a swimming pool and the connections available at today’s highway stops are like garden hoses.

Tesla appears to be ahead of the curve with its forthcoming semi trucks boasting a range of up to 800km on a single charge while hauling a full 40-tonne load, though this is still only half way to where it needs to be in terms of economic range. However, as with its passenger cars, Tesla will back its trucks with suitable charging infrastructure.

Daimler and Volvo also have similar-size vehicles that only operate on an overnight charge/back to base program.

Referred to in some quarters as “massive batteries on wheels” the Tesla heavy vehicles may accelerate the transition to electrified transport, but according to a report in media outlet Bloomberg, those responsible for delivering the power are starting to ask: “Are we ready for this?”

The answer is probably not, according to a new study of highway charging requirements conducted by British utility company National Grid Plc.

Bloomberg reports researchers found that by 2030, electrifying a typical highway service station will require as much power as a professional sports stadium – mostly for charging electrified passenger vehicles.

The report continues: “As more electric trucks hit the road, the projected power needs for a big truck stop by 2035 will equal that of a small town.”

“Put 50 trucks somewhere for recharging and what you end up with is the equivalent of a factory,” RMI energy research institute principal of carbon-free mobility Dave Mullaney told Bloomberg.

“Utilities know how to build factories, but it’s the process and sequencing required that’s scary to me. Utilities need to be starting half a decade ahead of the trucks in order to not be bottlenecking the transition to electric trucks.”

The media report says even the authors who penned the study were caught off guard by how quickly highway power demands will change.

“A connection to the grid that can handle more than five megawatts takes up to eight years to build, at a cost tens of millions of dollars.”

“If power upgrades don’t start soon, the transition to electric vehicles – let alone electric trucks – will quickly be constrained by a grid unprepared for the demand,” warned National Grid vice president of clean energy development, Bart Franey.

“We need to start making these investments now,” Mr Franey told Bloomberg.

“We can’t just wait for it to happen, because the market is going to outpace the infrastructure.”