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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General Motors (GM), EVgo, and Pilot Co. just hit a milestone: their joint EV charging network can now be found at more than 200 locations across nearly 40 states. They’ve rolled out almost 850 new fast-charging stalls in just over two years.
Less than a year ago, it spanned 25 states; now it covers almost 40. Some of the newest additions include Colorado, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, with big growth across Texas, Missouri, and Florida, including in rural counties, where EV chargers are still scarce.
The chargers are sited at Pilot and Flying J locations, which means drivers can access free Wi-Fi, restaurants, groceries, and convenience items while they charge. The EVgo stalls can deliver up to 350 kW, cutting charging times and quickly getting people back on the road. Many sites include overhead canopies for weather protection and pull-through stalls for trucks, trailers, and vans. Plug and Charge is also available for compatible EVs.
EVgo CEO Badar Khan said the goal is to make highway charging as flexible as the American road trip itself: “Our EVgo eXtend network, built in collaboration with Pilot and GM, is delivering reliable charging to communities large and small – ensuring freedom of fueling choice for every driver.”
GM is adding more electric models across Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac, and it wants its customers to be able to take them wherever they want to go. Wade Sheffer, VP of GM Energy, said, “Through our collaboration with Pilot and EVgo, we’re committed to helping ensure that charging access doesn’t get in the way of your EV journey.”
The three companies announced their collaboration in 2022, with a goal of building up to 2,000 fast-charging stalls at up to 500 Pilot and Flying J locations across the US. They’re nearly halfway there: By the end of 2025, they expect to hit 1,000 stalls across 40 states.
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Harley-Davidson’s electric spin-off brand LiveWire may be gearing up to launch a new model under the name “S4 Honcho,” according to a recent trademark filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The trademark was filed for use on “electric motorcycles and structural parts therefor.” That’s about as vague as it gets, but it’s enough to get the speculation wheels turning, especially since the name “Honcho” feels a little more wild west than LiveWire’s current city-slicker lineup.
LiveWire currently offers two motorcycle platforms: the flagship LiveWire One, and the more affordable S2 line (which just went on supersale), built on a more adaptable platform that currently serves the S2 Del Mar, S2 Mulholland, and S2 Alpinista. The company has already previewed two more models in the works, likely to become the new S3 platform, and so this “S4 Honcho” filing could be our first hint at an entirely new platform. Based on LiveWire’s naming system, an S4 designation would point to a larger, more premium electric motorcycle, potentially even one with touring or adventure capabilities. It also fits with previous indications from LiveWire that an S4 flagship platform could follow in the future.
That fits with the name “Honcho,” which carries an aggressive, take-the-lead kind of vibe. Could this be LiveWire’s entry into the ADV segment? Or perhaps a full-size electric cruiser to win over traditional Harley riders who haven’t yet gone electric? Is it meant to compete with heavier-weight gas motorcycles? Or could it be something else entirely? Such new directions could help expand LiveWire’s currently limited lineup into new categories, especially as more brands enter the commuter and urban e-moto space. But at the same time, LiveWire has struggled to move its already full-sized electric motorcycles, leading many to speculate that its best chance of short-term success could lie in the upcoming smaller format and more affordable S3 line.
Of course, it’s worth noting that companies often file trademarks for names that never see the light of day, or that take many years to eventually work their way to production. Filing for trademarks early is a common industry tactic to secure intellectual property, even if a product isn’t finalized yet – or might not be built at all. Still, the fact that LiveWire has applied for the S4 Honcho trademark suggests this is more than a back-of-the-napkin idea.
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Eco Wave Power held a grand opening for the first onshore wave power station in the US today, at the Port of Los Angeles. The station is just a pilot so far, but Eco Wave Power has big aspirations.
The station is on the site of AltaSea, an “ocean technology hub” in a warehouse at the Port of LA.
The idea behind wave power is to use motion of waves in the ocean to generate electricity. Waves are relatively constant, and hold more power than wind, given that water is so much denser than air. They also add another dimension to renewable power generation, which can help reduce intermittency.
However, wave power has been considered for centuries and has been tried several times, with little evidence yet of its scalability. The industry, such as it is, is definitely still in the development stage. So this pilot program has a big hill to climb if it’s going to succeed as a demonstration.
Eco Wave Power’s project is rather humble for now, consisting of seven blue painted buoys, which the company calls “floaters,” approximately in the shape of boats. The floaters are designed to lift and drop with the waves, driving a hydraulic ram to create pressure in a bank of storage tanks in a nearby shipping container (the “conversion unit”), which is then used to spin a turbine generator.
The project will run for two years, though it’s still primarily for demonstration and research purposes. Ocean environments are caustic and chaotic, so there are a lot of problems that could come up. But Eco Wave Power has tried to mitigate one of the potential problems by using biodegradeable hydraulic fluid, just in case there’s any sort of leak.
There could be potential terawatts of power generation available from wave power nationwide, but that would require deployment over much of the US coastline. Eco Wave Power says it could power 60,000 homes with a larger deployment, taking up around 8 miles of breakwater structures built around the Port of LA/Long Beach complex. The system is designed to be modular, so that more floaters and shipping containers could be added depending on the available area.
Alternately, the power could be used to help fuel the port itself. Ports tend to be dirty areas, and Long Beach/LA is no difference. Air quality in the area is quite poor, which is why the port is rushing to clean up pollution. Wave power could provide some onsite power for port operations, and perhaps help to run electrified port equipment.
And if the project were big enough to export power beyond the port, the benefit of being in a port is that there are always nearby electrical substations, so it’s not hard to find a grid connection.
But as of now, we’ve got 7 floaters to start.
Currently, the floaters are placed inside the breakwater, in the channel that is protected from ocean waves. Therefore, they’re not going to generate nearly as much power as if they were placed on the outside of the breakwater itself, where waves are larger, more consistent, and much more powerful. But this is a test project, after all.
At the opening event, minutes after the floaters were dropped into the water, we saw them turn the system on and generate… 1.6kW worth of power. It’s a pretty calm day, after all, and the system hadn’t really had time to build up any pressure.
Eco Wave Power says that a setup of this size could have a potential output of 100kW, though we did get some conflicting numbers on that, and we suspect the numbers change drastically based on positioning and water conditions. It has one grid-connected power station in Israel which has been operational for a few months now, but we asked how much energy it has produced, and the company said that it had not released that information yet.
The new LA station is actually the first onshore wave power station in the US, though there has previously been an offshore wave power pilot in Hawaii. There are benefits and downsides to each method, but onshore is cheaper to install and maintain, if you can get access to the shoreline needed – and port breakwaters are a good opportunity for that.
Eco Wave Power says it also has projects in Taiwan, India and Portugal coming soon. It formerly operated a pilot program in Gibraltar. Its projects so far have been in relatively protected areas (Israel and Gibraltar are both on the Mediterranean, and LA is inside the port), but it has future projects coming that will be exposed to the ocean, like in Taiwan and Portugal, which should offer a whole new set of challenges – and unlock much more power, if the company is able to harness the turbulence of the Pacific.
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