A recently released report is claiming that long-haul freight corridors can already be electrified using existing battery-electric vehicle (BEV) technology, challenging the long-held belief that only diesel trucks are up to the task.
The full report, titled Data Insights to Inform Truck Electrification Along the I-10 Corridor, a collaboration project by the Smart Freight Centre (SFC), Altitude by Geotab, and Terawatt Infrastructure, was based on anonymized telematics data from over 72,000 heavy-duty trucks over one year, and it reveals the duty cycles on the I-10 corridor are already well-suited for electrification.
[Related: Smart Freight Centre, Terawatt announce new EV shipper-carrier coalition]
The I-10 corridor is a nearly 2,500-mile highway beginning in Santa Monica, Calif. and runs to Jacksonville, Fla.
Key report findings
The report highlights that strategically building out truck charging infrastructure is essential to unlocking the corridor's full potential and could serve as a model for electrifying the rest of North America's freight network.
One critical piece of information is that most HD truck trips aren't long. For example, nonstop hauls are typically made up of shorter, more manageable segments. In fact, the data shows that 62% of trips are under 200 miles, a task that existing mid-range electric trucks can handle. Another interesting finding is that 82% of trips are less than 400 miles, making them well within reach of today's long-range electric models. The upcoming Tesla Semi, for example, has a confirmed range of 500 miles with a full load of approximately 82,000 lbs.
The report also finds that charging can fit into existing schedules with little disruption. Longer trips, it found, tend to be followed by longer breaks. For example, the typical stop after a 300-mile trip lasts more than 90 minutes. Additionally, 30% of all end-of-leg stops last over 10 hours, creating ideal opportunities for recharging.
Electrifying just the trips under 200 miles—which make up about 21% of all miles driven along the I-10 corridor—could have a significant impact. This could potentially save over 138 million gallons of diesel fuel and cut nearly 10 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
"The data fundamentally shifts the conversation around long-haul electrification. It shows that the operational reality of commercial freight on the I-10 corridor— with 82% of driving legs under 400 miles—makes this route highly compatible with today's electric truck capabilities," said Charlotte Argue, senior manager of sustainable mobility at Geotab. "By grounding our strategy in the reality of truck driving and stopping behavior, infrastructure investments can be targeted where they will have the greatest impact, making the transition to zero-emission freight a practical reality."
