In this column last month I detailed why a range of low and zero emission technologies would be required by the road freight transport industry in Australia to meet the ambitious legislated targets to reduce the nations CO₂ emissions and reach net zero by 2050.
There is simply no silver bullet to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions in this hard to abate sector, hence the requirement for a range of solutions.
I detailed some of the Truck Industry Council’s (TIC) proposed technologies/measures, these include, but are not limited to:
• Battery electric trucks, particularly for city/metro/urban freight tasks.
• Hybrid trucks for a broad range of tasks from metro to regional haul.
• Freight consolidation. For example, some half of existing articulated freight movements on the Hume and Pacific highways are semi-trailers. Moving freight from semi-trailers to B-doubles saves on average 30per cent in CO₂ emissions.
• Low carbon fuels. A mandated R20 diesel fuel (a 20 per cent renewable diesel blend) run across the entire truck fleet would result in an approximate 18 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions across the existing fleet.
• Intermodal shift. For example, moving some container movements from seaport to distribution centres via rail and not truck, would reduce not only CO₂ emissions, but ease traffic congestion and have improved road safety outcomes.
• Social change. Consumers ordering goods online and ‘ticking the box’ for next day delivery drives up CO₂ emissions. Accepting a longer delivery timeline allows for freight to be consolidated and moved more efficiently, reducing the carbon emissions of the delivery process.
I did not add hydrogen fuel cell trucks to the list. Such trucks are a longer term possibility.
Requiring the cost of the truck and the fuel to reduce significantly in order to make this technology commercially viable for the road freight sector.
Trials are underway overseas and in Australia and these will highlight the possibilities of this technology.
Yet another potential technological solution for truck/trailer combinations are eTrailers.
An eTrailer can take a number of forms, however the version that TIC would advocate for is a trailer that is fitted with an electric drive axle and an onboard battery that is capable of self-propelling the trailer, or at least partially propelling the trailer.
The technology deployed in this type of eTrailer is essentially the same as that used in a battery electric truck. However, unlike battery electric trucks, eTrailers currently very much remain in an experimental/trial phase.
There are a number of reasons for this, including, a lack of Australian and international regulations defining what an eTrailer is, how it could/should operate, what level of connectivity is required between the truck and eTrailer, noting that the truck must communicate to the eTrailer to tell it to start and stop and when in motion, how fast the eTrailer should be travelling.
There are potential safety issues that also need to be addressed, such as battery and electrical system safety.
While the electronic communication systems need to be robust and inherently protected from potential cyber-attack. Another drawback for eTrailers is their increased weight.
Just like a battery electric truck, eTrailers will be by design, quite a lot heavier than a conventional trailer (due to the battery and electric drive motor/system), hence an eTrailer will not be able to carry the same payload as a conventional trailer, unless additional axle mass concessions are granted for eTrailers.
The real showstopper for eTrailers currently is that the Australian road rules do not have a category for powered trailers, hence eTrailers are not legal for use on Australian roads.
While the above highlights the main obstacles for eTrailer deployment and use currently, this should not be taken as an exhaustive list — there may be some other bugs to iron out.
Above are obstacles that must be overcome before eTrailers become a practical reality in Australia.
TIC believes that due to the number of regularity issues and challenges that currently beset eTrailers, their viable deployment and widespread use before 2030 is unlikely.
However, there is the potential for self-powered eTrailers to reduce CO₂ emission within the transport sector and TIC believes that on-road eTrailer trials should be conducted to explore the possibilities of this technology.
TIC calls upon State and Federal Governments, in conjunction with the NHVR and the NTC, to support such trials.
Tony McMullan
CEO, Truck Industry Council