UPS buys 100 electric-power trucks

i wish they would do it here. i can't stand the diesel fumes from the ups and fedex trucks gunning it around here all day long. and the gas powered postal vehicles aren't much better. these drivers have only two modes: full throttle or full brake.

 

UPS and FedEx would be perfect customers for CNG trucks especially here on the East Coast where natural gas is plentiful, relatively inexpensive and stable in price - there is a pretty significant cost savings over EV and you get a pretty good environmental gain as well.

 

However:
- CNG is low density, requiring a larger tank, compromising capacity.
- CNG has the same urban, start-stop efficiency issues as diesel.

Given that their main delivery costs are in vehicles and drivers CNG isn't perfect.

I think their hopes are in two areas:
- Diesel vehicle efficiency improvements, especially through downsizing allowed by weight reduction.
- Cost-reduction and/or range enhancements for HEVs and EVs.

Government (i.e. taxpayer) funding is, I'm sure, increasing their current use of EVs, but I'm also sure that it's the large future potential of EV for use in warm, urban environments that is keeping them interested.

 

Comparing CNG to gas or diesel- yes you do need a larger tank to have a similar range - have you seen the standard UPS truck - its not like you are cramming a larger tank into a Camry. But when you compare it to batteries CNG has a better energy density - going back to the Camry - have you seen the trunk side of the Camry hybrid?

Yes, you do need to start and stop them and it is far less efficient than an EV.



But there are other benefits to CNG - just a couple -

CNG vehicles are going to cost way less than an equivalent EV - my guess is that it would add $10k give or take to the price of a vehicle the size of a delivery truck - based on the fact that the added cost for a Ford Super Duty truck is about $7500 and the added cost for a municipal trash truck is about $15k (last month I actually had to price one as I serve on a town board). The cost of an EV version would be way more. Multiply the difference by the fleet size and it is a huge number.

Range - we know that weather and age of batteries will affect the range - it is one thing for a person with a Leaf, but something completely different for a work truck driven 5 or 6 days a week. Could you imagine the issues caused in any place that has 4 seasons - what do you do when you have a cold snap which most places have once or twice a winter - do you plan for the worst case and lug around 20 or 30% more battery than you need most of the time or just not make some deliveries on cold days? Heck even in places that are considered hot and urban like Vegas or Phoenix you have very cold nights that could wreak havoc - by the time things warm up many of these trucks are on the road already.

CNG engines are incredibly reliable and are a proven technology. Diesel trucks are driven long and hard. The lifespan of CNG is at least equal and might be a bit better than diesel. Also - maintenance is inexpensive (compared to an EV) and the same mechanics can do the work on CNG with only a very little training. Yes, electric motors are going to be less maintenance than an diesel or CNG, but any problems with EV and they have the potential to be significant and will also require a specialized skill set.

I think that their is a reason that this is program is in CA. I could see the use for an EV delivery vehicle in the center of the biggest cities - Manhattan, San Francisco, etc, but even in big places with sprawl like Houston I just do not see them making any sense.

 

My point was not that EV is perfect, but that CNG most definitely isn't. Its characteristics mean that the only benefit to a delivery company is in the fuel price. EV on the other hand has potential to improve urban efficiency.

Yes, it has pollution benefits but they really don't care about that.

 

Coming up with an add-on to improve the fuel economy of the little USPS mail truck can make a big impact.

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_LLV]Grumman LLV - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

 

Maybe my mail can FINALLY arrive on time!

 

It may not be a benefit to the company, but CNG is much cleaner than diesel and also cleaner than gasoline. It still has room for efficiency. On the other hand, its cold weather operation is known.

EVs are ideal for delivery vans, and even buses, but they are still at the ideal point in development on some points.

 

So - CNG is less expensive per mile, as reliable and proven as diesel, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and has little volatility in the price - these are all things that companies that run fleets care about - and they do care about pollution because if they can appear a bit green it is a benefit to the company at the very least.

EV's might develop into something that work somday, but right now they are just not ready for prime time. This announcement about UPS is just hype - if you look at it there has to be a backstory - tax breaks to UPS and the company making good with the politicians in CA.

 

Consider this: if CNG is perfect, why aren't they converting more of their fleet?

My answer is that they've crunched the numbers and found that it isn't worth it, at least for the estimable future. The fuel price savings trade-off against losses: as well as higher cost vehicles, there's lower fuel economy, slower refueling, more frequent refueling and slower starting.

They do have a significant numbers of propane and CNG vehicles in some locations, but just as they've received breaks for EVs, they've received breaks for those vehicles too.

Yes, it's significantly taxpayer funded, which is the only reason these companies have so many EVs at the moment. EVs definitely aren't cost-efficient right now.

But their interest in EV is about the future. If battery costs continue to fall they'll be more cost efficient. If battery density continues to increase they'll be more cost efficient and have greater application. Right now, it's all about accumulating operational data so that they are ready, when (or if) EVs save money.

Meanwhile, if the predicted CNG to diesel price differential increases sufficiently they'll make all of their new purchases CNG and begin retrofitting their diesels to CNG. But until you see them doing that, it's pretty obvious that CNG isn't perfect.