Next year promises as many as three 12,000- to 26,000-pound GVW all-electric trucks for sale in the US. Delivery companies worried about image and carbon taxes will no doubt be the early adopters, but it occurs to me that there may be some materials producers -- quarries predominantly -- that might find reasons to look into a plug-in vehicle. Any vehicle that routinely carries 3,600- to 16,000-pound payloads less than 100 miles per day is a candidate (batteries seem to be capable of delivering up to 150 miles with regenerative braking but truck makers are hedging their bets -- because actual use in the field varies so widely -- by saying range will be 100 miles). Could that be a gravel or mulch truck making homeowner or landscaper deliveries in an urban area? Emissions restrictions like those imposed on Southern California, in New York City and Chicago could raise interest in zero-emissions vehicles. Anyway, Navistar just inked a joint venture with British electric-truck maker Modec Ltd. to build Class 2c and 3 electric trucks at Navistar's Wakarusa, IN, facilities, and the Navistar-Modec EV Alliance plans to build about 400 of them next year. It's backed by $39.2 million in stimulus funding, and will soon start cranking out road-ready trucks. Read more about that venture here , along with some conjecture about how much the things are going to cost, and find links to news about the US efforts of Daimler/Freightliner-backed International Electric Vehicles and Smith Electric Vehicles.
Could this be "Climategate"?
Just offering what may be solutions to for folks that are struggling with compliance. Not advocating anything. But I do think there's a link between ClimateGate and CARB (and diesel emissions regulations just like California's, coming soon to a state capital near you). The similarity between Sacramento and Copenhagen can be summed up in regulators' disregarding the truth about our environmental condition in order to preserve the momentum of regulation, at crippling expense to people everywhere. Hope this adequately explains what I mean: ClimateGate Comes to CARB CARB indifference to a key researcher’s purchased PhD could overthrow the Air Resources Board
I take issue with taxpayer money being used to fund this development, I'm on the side of projects needing to be economically sound, in other words they should be able to sustain themselves without subsidies. It will be interesting to see if these trucks turn out to be economical in the long run. Another consideration: These "Zero Emission" vehicles don't take into account the fuel burned to generate the electricity for charging. Most power plants in the country are either coal or petroleum fired so is there really an emissions gain? I'd be curious to see a study on that. I feel once an alternative fuel is found to be more economical than petroleum, it will be used. Until then these program are just experiments.
On a side note I wonder what the enviormental impact of desposal of the lithiumion batteries will be? If they are anything like the ions in my phones from the past after a year the charges get a bit weaker. At two years replacement is almost mandatory. Also if electric vehicles continue to gain ground what is going to happen to electricity prices? Last years oil spike doubled and almost tripled a lot of rates in my area. Off peak times could possibly handle the load, but peak times sounds like a problem waiting to happen. I rember times when it would be unusually hot as a kid and schools closing for a day or two to lower the demand for air conditioning. Granted that's been a little while back, but how much has changed. I'm with Steve on that they should be sound options. I would think if they were a good option they wouldn't need government subsidies, venture capitalists would jump all over them. Will any of these funds be repaid or will wonderful uncle sam continue to suport them? Seems a bit fishy our tax dollars are gonna design these things and put them into production. It is likely only majour companies will be the bulk users of these things and get tax credits for there use. So does it seem as though our taxes are gonna start suporting there fleets? Or am I just not smart enough to see where this benifits me :beatsme :Banghead This reminds me of bail outs that made no since :beatsme :Banghead . All these companies that were going to go under last year needed all this money to stay afloat that have all of the sudden become so viable that hey can repay the money???? I'm guessing more like they took more risk with the money and got lucky at our expense had it gone wrong. :idontgetit ops fftopic