The trucking industry is beginning its move to an electric future. In order to leverage data from real-world experiences, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) will be conducting Run on Less – Electric (RoL-E), an electric truck technology demonstration in 2021. Leading up to and throughout the Run, NACFE will showcase electric trucks in everyday operation and the actions needed to accelerate their adoption. The actual Run will begin in September of 2021.

“Run on Less – Electric will allow the whole industry to see electric trucks delivering real freight on real routes to showcase that zero-emissions goods movement is possible,” says Ryan Laskey, senior vice president of Dana’s Commercial Vehicle (CV) Drive and Motion Business.

RoL-E will feature up to 10 dedicated trucks, drivers and charging infrastructure systems across the United States and Canada, supported by their fleets and truck OEM partners. Vehicles from vans to medium-duty box trucks to heavy-duty tractors will be moving freight in different duty cycles and geographic and climate areas.

“We are pleased to recognize the bold companies — Dana, Meritor and Shell — that already have signed on to support our effort by becoming title sponsors,” says Mike Roeth, NACFE’s executive director.

Different from previous Run on Less events, the technology on the trucks in RoL-E will be at an earlier stage of development and deployment. The goal is to showcase equipment that is representative of the truck builders’ plans. Given the limited number of electric trucks in service, many of them in pre-production mode, RoL-E fleet participants will be teams made up of the fleet and their OEM partners.

Today, we are also announcing a call for participants for Run on Less – Electric. Fleets and truck OEMs can complete an application using the form available at www.runonless.com/electric. Contact Dave Schaller at david.schaller@nacfe.org or Mike Roeth at mike.roeth@nacfe.org with questions.

NACFE will be working collaboratively with diverse organizations across the large ecosystem of zero-emissions vehicles to bring a full understanding of how these trucks are being deployed.

“Shell is excited to participate in Run on Less – Electric to increase awareness of electric trucks and gather critical data to scale their adoption. We’re proud to be among the companies advancing electric truck infrastructure technology and to work with NACFE and RMI on this important effort,” says Andreas Lips, CEO Greenlots, a member of the Shell group.

“Commercial vehicles using electrified drivetrains are one of the emerging technologies that will help the trucking industry evolve into the future. Run on Less – Electric will help us gather real-world data that can then be used to help the industry make the transition to zero emissions,” says John Nelligan, President North America Truck, Meritor

To complement the demonstration and data collection components of RoL-E, NACFE and RMI will be hosting a series of virtual educational events (E-series) designed to convene industry stakeholders to discuss the why and how of electric truck deployments. The E-series is an opportunity to learn from leaders in fleet electrification beyond the formal Run participants and will include discussions with fleet managers, charging providers, utilities, engineering firms, policymakers, and more. Those interested in learning more about electric trucks and working together to overcome challenges to deploying these zero-emission vehicles are encouraged to review the E-series schedule — set to be released in April — and register their participation.

“Rather than a typical webinar where experts teach what they already know, these sessions are intended to bring together stakeholders from across the industry to support innovation, collaboration, and the acceleration of zero-emissions goods movement,” says NACFE Board Chairman and Schneiders’ EVP and Chief Administrative Officer Rob Reich.

NACFE hopes the Run will allow it to learn more about the implementation of electric trucks at fleets including things like needed infrastructure, total cost of ownership, training needs and more.

NACFE believes the RoL-E program represents a huge opportunity in delivering goods cleanly and efficiently, as well as promoting a green trucking future. Ensuring the long-term success of these zero-emission vehicles requires learning from their deployment and tests in real-world conditions, which itself takes significant time and investment.

“While the RoL-E program has sparked interest and initial underwriting support, we need more support to build on this momentum and to ensure its expansion and success for the long-haul,” Roeth says. Specifically, sponsors for the event are still needed to help underwrite the costs associated with the Run. Opportunities are available at different levels. Event sponsors already committed include: APTIV, Electrify America, Electriphi, Geotab, Lightning eMotors, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, PepsiCo, Peterbilt, Volvo Trucks North America, and Workhorse. To discuss sponsorship opportunities, please contact Mike Roeth at mike.roeth@nacfe.org or 260-750-0106.

“It’s time for all of us to more fully understand the benefits and challenges of hauling real freight with electric trucks. RoL-E will allow us to do just that. We expect the event will help create business and customer demand for more sustainable goods movement ,” Roeth says.