Decarbonizing Trucking from the Road
Courtesy of RMI.
By Laurie Stone
Mike Roeth has clocked thousands of miles pulling his solar-powered recreational vehicle around the country in his quest to make trucking cleaner and more efficient. For some it may seem strange that an effort to curb fuel takes fuel, since Roeth pulls his RV with a diesel-powered Ford F-250.
But for Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) and trucking lead for RMI, it makes total sense. Roeth likes to live by the concept of “gemba,” a Japanese word meaning “the actual place.” He learned it in the 1990s while he was managing a plant for a manufacturer of engines and power systems. His plant was implementing a production system similar to Toyota’s, and Roeth was studying the Japanese automaker’s efforts when he discovered gemba.
Gemba means going to see the actual process and learning from those who do the work. Inside a Toyota factory, it means that management walks the floor to observe the manufacturing process up close. In Roeth’s world, it means that he is constantly out on the road, meeting with trucking companies and chatting with truck drivers. His goal is to understand the latest technologies for reducing emissions in a sector that is responsible for 24 percent of transportation’s greenhouse gas footprint.
Roeth grew up on a farm near Dayton, Ohio. He has been around tractors and trucks since he was a toddler. After graduating from Ohio State University with an engineering degree and working with different companies, he eventually became a vice president at Navistar, the company that owns the International brand of trucks and diesel engines. Roeth traveled a lot for work, and when he left Navistar, he decided he wanted to spend more time with his wife, Letty. He told her he would look for a job in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where they were living at the time.
Letty, however, knew her husband better than that. “That’s not you—you have to be traveling and out with people,” she told him. “Why don’t we buy a camper? I’ll go with you and see how we like it.” Roeth became an industry consultant, and they instantly fell in love with working on the road.
Getting the Efficiency Bug
Although Roeth loves working in the trucking industry, he was bothered by the lack of interest in efficiency technologies when fuel prices were low. “I was frustrated to find out that over the past 50 years, when fuel prices went up the industry wanted to lower costs and be more efficient, but when prices went down they didn’t,” he said. As a result, a lot of efficiency technologies were being discarded. “I knew that we need to and can do better with the emissions that move our goods.”
Around the same time that the Roeths were taking to the road, RMI hosted a workshop on efficient trucking with the goal of doubling the efficiency of the trucking sector. NACFE, an independent organization helping to drive efficiency in the trucking sector, was born out of that charrette, and Roeth was the perfect person to take it on.
“The thing I like about trucking is that it’s a small industry: only about half a million trucks are produced in a given year. It forces everyone to work together,” Roeth says. “Even though all the companies have divergent goals, and there’s a very diverse, complex market of trucking, it’s also incredibly collaborative.” That dynamic is ideal for Roeth, who excels at getting people together to work toward a common goal.
“Mike has an incredible resume of experience,” says Amanda Phillips, general manager of OEM (original equipment manufacturer) sales at Meritor, a corporation that makes truck components. “He is always willing to share ideas and teach others. His energy and positive attitude are contagious.” From 2010 to 2016, Roeth nurtured NACFE from a small startup nonprofit to the leading organization on trucking efficiency. According to Phillips, “Mike’s entrepreneurial spirit and his work with NACFE have helped fleets better understand available technologies and the impact those advances can make in their fleet’s carbon footprint.”
During that same time, the Roeths got progressively bigger campers and started being gone more often. They eventually sold their house, got rid of most of their stuff, and became full-time RVers. They now have a 41-foot Jayco Eagle outfitted with a 1.4 kilowatt solar array to run their appliances.
The Roeths’ next step is to replace both their truck and camper with a motor home that pulls an electric car. Then, when parked at a campsite, they can drive their electric car for shorter trips. They hope to eventually get away from fossil fuels completely with an electric or hydrogen-powered truck that can pull an RV.
The Birth of Run on Less
In 2016, the NACFE team was trying to figure out how efficient a tractor trailer could be if it incorporated the best available efficiency technologies. The team thought the best way to do that was to track some of the most fuel-efficient trucks, driven by efficiency-focused drivers. And with that, Run on Less was born.
The first Run on Less event featured seven fleets, outfitted with different fuel-efficiency measures, in a cross-country demonstration. NACFE followed the fleets across the country and proved that fleets can improve their fuel efficiency by 25 percent if they adopt the right technologies.
The event was so successful that NACFE held a second Run on Less event in 2019. This one included 10 fleets, many very large, focused on regional haul. The second demonstration proved that the 800,000 trucks in North America could decrease their annual consumption of diesel from 8 billion gallons to 5.5 billion gallons, and eventually down to 1 billion gallons.
“Run on Less is just a gift that keeps on giving,” says Roeth. “It’s real, it’s human. We talk to truckers and the people buying trucks and running them, and then we share their stories and data. Do we like it because it’s fun or because the marketplace likes it? I think it’s a bit of both.”
To Roeth, the future of trucking looks bright. He’s most excited about electric and hydrogen trucks. “To think we can move freight with no emissions is incredible,” he says. “Trucking has done a lot. Diesel exhaust is cleaner now. I’m really proud of the industry. But it’s still carbon-based. I’m most excited about moving the industry to zero carbon.”
Roeth is getting an up-close glimpse at a carbon-free future for trucking in the third Run on Less demonstration, called Run on Less–Electric. This event, beginning September 2, features 13 electric trucks in a variety of real-world applications for companies including Frito-Lay, Anheuser-Busch, and Penske.
In addition to new technologies, Roeth is also excited about the changes in terms of diversity that he has seen over the 35 years he’s been involved in the industry. “The meetings I was in 30 years ago were all mostly white men. Now we have women and people of color involved from management to drivers,” he explains.
Living the Gemba Way
While many people took to the road during the COVID pandemic, the Roeths actually stayed put. Part of the joy of being on the road for the Roeths is not only attending industry events, but also going to museums, sporting events, and pubs, and meeting interesting people across the country.
Mike Roeth: Decarbonizing Trucking from the RoadWith COVID putting a stop to most of that, they felt they had no reason to go anywhere, so they hunkered down in Indiana. But it wasn’t the same. “During the pandemic I felt I was getting out of touch with trucking,” says Roeth. So he is now back on the road meeting with trucking companies, manufacturers, and drivers.
In the weeks leading up to Run on Less–Electric, he has been traveling around the country visiting most of the 13 companies involved, from Los Angeles to New York City. He has conducted dozens of interviews of fleet managers, company leaders, and truck drivers.
In this way, he learns firsthand about the benefits of electric trucks as well as any challenges the companies have faced. He then uses this knowledge to help increase the use of electric trucks in the industry. After one and a half years of COVID, he is back in his element: observing, listening, learning, and sharing ideas face-to-face. And that’s at the heart of how Roeth tries to live—the gemba way.
Learn about the companies and trucks involved in Run on Less – Electric and follow the Run at https://runonless.com.
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Ride1Up recently threw its hat into the electric mountain bike ring — and not with a tentative little toss, either. The new Ride1Up TrailRush is the company’s first fully fledged, fully class 3 eMTB, and it’s aiming to take a big bite out of a segment that has traditionally been dominated by pricey, big-brand models.
Ride1Up TrailRush Video Review
To see this e-bike in action during my own testing, check out my video review below. Then keep reading for my complete thoughts on this awesome new electric mountain bike.
Ride1Up TrailRush tech specs
- Motor: Brose TF Sprinter mid-drive motor (90 Nm torque)
- Top speed: 28 mph (45 km/h)
- Battery: 36V14Ah (504Wh)
- Frame: Aluminum alloy 6061
- Fork: 120mm Rockshox Judy Siler TK Air Fork
- Weight: 57 lb (25.8 kg)
- Brakes: Tektro Orion HD-M475 quad-piston hydraulic disc brakes
- Extras: Brose color LCD display, integrated torque sensor, dropper post, three color options, two frame sizes, mounting points for rear rack, distinct and utter lack of a kickstand (maybe that one’s a bug…)
- Price: $2,095
A good eMTB for a great price?
Let me give you the bottom line up front: The TrailRush delivers serious off-road capability, name-brand components, and a high-end German-made mid-drive motor system at a price that’s going to make a lot of riders do a double-take. In a good way.
For years, Ride1Up has been carving out a reputation as the go-to brand for affordable, high-performance e-bikes that don’t feel cheap. Commuters and casual riders already know the name well, but the TrailRush marks a new chapter for the brand – one that swaps city streets for singletrack, gravel fire roads, and just about anything else you can point a set of knobby tires at.
At the core of the TrailRush is the Brose TF Sprinter mid-drive motor, delivering an impressive 90 Nm of torque. For those not deep in the eMTB weeds, that’s plenty of grunt for steep climbs and technical trail work, and it puts the TrailRush right in the ballpark with much more expensive bikes from the likes of Specialized or Bulls – both of which often use the same Brose platform or other comparable German mid-drive systems like those from Bosch.
This mid-drive motor system is paired with a bottom-bracket-integrated torque sensor, which means the motor’s output feels smooth and intuitive, responding to your pedal pressure rather than just cadence. And not only is the assistance more natural feeling, but it’s also whisper quiet. Like, it literally is as quiet as a whisper. When I ride on gravel or anything else that has a bit of a crunch under my tires, I seriously can’t even hear the motor. If I’m on something soft and quiet like grass, I can just barely make out the faint sound. In the highest power mode, it’s a tiny bit louder, but this is still one of the quietest mid-drive e-bike motors I’ve ever tested. It’s a dream when all you really want to do is enjoy the beautiful outdoors around you and not listen to the whine of plastic gears.
The motor runs through a 10-speed Shimano Deore M6000 drivetrain with a clutch derailleur to keep chain slap in check when the trail gets rowdy. Shifting is crisp, and with the 11-36T cassette out back, you’ve got a nice wide range to tackle everything from flat-out fire road sprints to granny-gear climbs.
Power comes from a 36V 14Ah Phylion battery with Samsung cells, tucked neatly into the frame. Ride1Up says you can expect long-range performance, and while exact real-world numbers will depend on terrain and assist level, pairing that capacity with a mid-drive motor and efficient torque sensing should get you well beyond the kind of short-loop range you might expect from hub-driven budget bikes with throttles.
And that’s one important note here. Yes, the 36V battery is lower voltage than a lot of other models out there, and the 504 Wh isn’t exactly blowing battery capacity out of the water. But the bike is torquey and the lack of a throttle means that 504 Wh lasts a lot longer than you think. I could easily get 30 miles (50 km) of off-road riding in medium power levels, and would certainly get significantly more if I had the leg muscles to keep the bike in the lowest power level all the time.
Built for real trail work
This isn’t one of those “mountain-style” e-bikes that’s really just a cruiser with knobby tires. Ride1Up spec’d the TrailRush with legit off-road parts:
The 120mm RockShox Judy Silver TK air fork up front gives adjustable, tunable suspension for real trail comfort. This isn’t some junk spring fork – it’s the real deal.
The Tektro Orion HD-M745 quad-piston hydraulic brakes provide serious stopping power, even from higher speeds, and are exactly the kind of powerful braking system you want on long, steep descents.
Even the Exaform KSP900 dropper post with 150mm of travel is a serious value-add component, letting you get the saddle out of the way when it’s time to point downhill or just lowering it for comfortable stops. If you didn’t quite set your saddle height appropriately, you can adjust it on the fly instead of hopping off and fiddling with the height on the side of the road or trail.
And those Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR 29×2.6” tubeless-ready tires, which are practically the default choice for aggressive trail riders thanks to their traction and durability, are a major step up from the typical Kendas we see on budget “mountain bikes” that aren’t really meant for real trails.
Add in the set of 780mm-wide MTB bars for leverage, thru-axles for robust hub and wheel mounting, and you’ve got a package that’s ready for real-world trails — not just a parking lot test ride. Though if you did want to turn it into a mall cruiser, it actually has bosses ready to accept a rear rack, meaning you could do cargo duty during the week and then hit the trails on the weekend!
Class 3 speed, XC range
The TrailRush is set up as a Class 3 eMTB, with pedal assist up to 28 mph. That’s practically a requisite in North America, where everyone wants to eke out as much speed as they are legally allowed. Keep in mind, though, that some trails do limit riders to Class 1 e-bikes that can only hit 20 mph. But the bike can be limited to slower speeds to comply, which is fairly common these days.
I touched on range when mentioning the battery above, and this is always a tricky topic with eMTBs because ride styles vary so much. But the combination of a 504 Wh battery, a high-efficiency Brose system, and a rider who uses lower assist settings could easily stretch up to 50 miles on mixed-terrain rides, according to the company. Hammer it on full boost non-stop though, and expect your range to suffer accordingly.
Ride feel and budget positioning
While the TrailRush is pitched as an XC/light trail bike, the geometry and build hint at a versatile personality. The 120mm travel fork and relatively slack front end should make it stable on descents, while the mid-travel setup keeps it lively and efficient on climbs. The quad-piston brakes are overkill for some riders, but anyone actually hitting big descents will be happy to have them! Plus, they’re extra punchy in the case of emergency braking.
And as I mentioned, the Brose system is also known for its quiet operation, which is a subtle but important part of the ride experience. There’s no harsh whine here, just a muted hum that lets you enjoy the sound of your tires on dirt.
With an MSRP of $2,095, the TrailRush is hundreds of dollars below the nearest D2C competition and thousands below the legacy mountain bike brands. That’s going to open up the mid-drive, name-brand suspension eMTB experience to riders who might have written it off as financially out of reach.
Of course, there are tradeoffs. At this price point, you’re not getting a carbon frame or the latest 12-speed drivetrain. The fork is a capable RockShox Judy Silver rather than a higher-end Pike or Lyrik. But those choices feel smart – they keep costs in check while still delivering a genuinely trail-worthy package.
My takeaway
Ride1Up’s entry into the mountain bike space was always going to be interesting, given how well they’ve nailed the commuter and city bike categories. The TrailRush doesn’t feel like a half-measure or a “we can do it too” model; it feels like a deliberate, well-specced eMTB built to meet real rider needs at a disruptive price of $2,095. And it focuses on their core audience: riders who want a quality bike but aren’t necessarily going to spend an entire paycheck or two to get it.
For riders looking to break into the eMTB world without dropping $6,000–$8,000, the TrailRush could be a game-changer. The Brose mid-drive alone is a huge plus, bringing smooth, natural-feeling power and enough torque to handle genuine trail challenges. Pair that with real suspension, a dropper post, great tires, and quad-piston brakes, and you’ve got a bike that’s ready to do more than just look the part.
It’s also a statement. The TrailRush shows that Ride1Up is willing to take the same value-driven approach that’s made their commuter bikes so popular and apply it to a category where “budget” has often meant big compromises. The real-world ride matches the spec sheet, which I think will end up making this one of the most important new eMTBs of the year. Not because it’s better than the competition, but because it’s good enough to get so many more people into eMTBs at a reasonable price, and on something built well enough to give them a safe and fun adventure.
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Kia’s new EV5 is about the size of a Tesla Model Y, and it will hit the market in the next few months. The real thrill will come with a GT version set to follow right behind it.
When is the Kia EV5 GT launching?
It has been about a month since Kia revealed the upgraded EV5, a new midsize electric SUV that will sit between the EV3 and EV9.
Although the EV5 has been on sale in China since 2023, Kia introduced the global version, which will be sold in Europe, North America, South Korea, and other markets.
The electric SUV has already helped Kia make a comeback in China, the world’s largest EV market. Despite an intensifying price war and a wave of low-cost domestic models launching, Kia turned its first profit in the first quarter of 2025, marking the first time in eight years.
Now, a new high-performance variant is on the way. Kia’s new midsize electric is getting a GT upgrade, and it’s expected to pack some serious power.
According to The Korean Car Blog, Kia confirmed for the first time that the EV5 GT will arrive in the first quarter of 2026.
The new EV5 GT will follow other Kia electric vehicles, including the EV6 GT and EV9 GT, that’s getting the performance upgrade.
Although Kia has yet to reveal official prices and specs, we have a good idea of what to expect. Like the EV6 GT, Kia’s midsize electric SUV will likely arrive with a dual-motor, AWD powertrain, packing over 600 horsepower and 770 Nm of torque. The added power should be good for a 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) sprint in about 3.5 seconds.
Like its other GT vehicles, the EV5 is expected to pull popular features from the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N, like a Virtual Gear Shift (VGS), launch control, drift optimizer, and more.
You can also expect to see sporty new design elements, such as updated front and rear bumpers, headlights, and taillights. Added GT-specific badging and other detailing will be featured throughout.
Although we will have to wait to see it until closer to launch, a blacked-out EV5 GT-Line was recently spotted (via HealerTV) in Korea, hinting at a few design upgrades you can expect.
The interior will feature Kia’s new ccNC infotainment system, which includes dual 12.3″ central navigation and driver display screens, as well as an additional 5.3″ climate control screen.
The global EV5 is 4,610 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,675 mm tall, which is slightly smaller than the Tesla Model Y. It’s closer in size to Hyundai’s IONIQ 5.
Kia will launch the EV5 in Korea and Europe in the second half of the year. The GT variant will follow in early 2026.
The EV5 will arrive in North America in early 2026. However, it may not be sold in the US. Kia said earlier this year that the EV5 will be “exclusive to the Canadian market in North America.”
Kia’s midsize electric SUV will initially launch with two battery pack options, offering a WLTP driving range of up to 329 miles. Unlike the version sold in China, the global EV5 will be produced in Korea.
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Tesla shareholders are suing the company, Elon Musk, and a few current and former leaders for securities fraud over its ‘Robotaxi’ launch in Austin.
The lawsuit emphasizes that expanding Robotaxi services is critical for Tesla amid declining demand for its electric vehicles and other challenges, but the company failed to disclose risks to regulators, the public, and investors.
The complaint alleges that Tesla and its executives made materially false and misleading statements, inflating the company’s stock price by exaggerating the readiness and safety of self-driving vehicles, particularly the Robotaxi.
Specific claims include:
- Repeatedly overstating the effectiveness of autonomous driving tech and its financial prospects for Tesla.
- Elon Musk’s statement on an April 22, 2025, conference call that Tesla was “laser-focused on bringing robotaxi to Austin in June.”
- Tesla’s claim on the same day that its approach would deliver “scalable and safe deployment across diverse geographies and use cases.”
- Concealing risks highlighted by a late June 2025 public test of Robotaxis in Austin, Texas, where vehicles reportedly exhibited dangerous behaviors such as speeding, sudden braking, driving over curbs, entering wrong lanes, and dropping passengers in the middle of multilane roads without proper safety measures. This test allegedly led to a 6.1% drop in Tesla’s share price over two trading days, erasing about $68 billion in market value.
Electrek’s Take
For now, the lawsuit appears more like a fishing expedition than a serious matter. I don’t like lawsuits that use stock price movements to claim damages.
However, in this case, as I’ve been reporting for months, I do think that Tesla did the ‘Robotaxi’ launch purely for optics with a system that is not ready to be unsupervised and valuable.
Tesla did it because it is not capable of delivering on its long promise of unsupervised self-driving in consumer vehicles, and Waymo is making it look bad by actively deploying and expanding autonomous ride-hailing systems.
It needs to start to look like it is in this competition, even if barely.
The deployment of autonomous driving systems should prioritize safety as the primary driver, rather than optics. In this sense, the lawsuit can make some sense as it will be damaging to investors when Tesla’s house of cards of autonomy comes crumbling down.
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