Orlando, Florida — March 6, 2022 — The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) today released the first of four market segment reports — Electric Trucks Have Arrived: The Use Case For Terminal Tractors — based on findings from last year’s Run on Less – Electric (RoL-E) freight efficiency demonstration. Read the Report.

“We acknowledge that electrification can be difficult, especially in the Class 8 market. But right now, the electrification of terminal tractors makes sense and is a good place for fleets to begin their electrification journey.”

– Mike Roeth, NACFE Executive Director

Three fleet-OEM pairs in RoL-E operated terminal tractors: NFI with a Kalmar Ottawa T2E, Ruan with an Orange EV T Series and Ryder with a Lonestar SV S22. Each of the terminal tractors that participated in RoL-E are in production and can be ordered from the various manufacturers. 

“Terminal tractors provide a good use case for electrification because they operate in low mileage applications and can opportunity charge throughout the day while drivers are on breaks.”

– Kevin Otto, Report Lead Author and NACFE Electrification Technical Lead

The report includes some basic information about terminal tractors and the size and scope of the market. It looks at duty cycle and charging considerations and presents the benefits and challenges of battery electric vehicles. It includes information on the manufacturers and fleets that had terminal tractors in the Run and provides details on what metrics were measured. There also is a discussion of total cost of operation and return on investment.

Key findings and lessons learned also are included in the report.

Media Inquiries Please Contact

NACFE: Denise Rondini, T: +1 773-951-8563, E: denise.rondini@nacfe.org

RMI: Emily Long, T: +1 720-675-1699, E: elong.contractor@rmi.org

Some of these vehicle-manufacturer pairings are part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities.

About the North American Council for Freight Efficiency

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to doubling the freight efficiency of North American goods movement. NACFE operates as a nonprofit in order to provide an independent, unbiased research organization for the transformation of the transportation industry. Data is critical, and NACFE is proving to help the industry with real-world information that fleets can use to take action. In 2014, NACFE collaborated with Carbon War Room, founded by Sir Richard Branson and now a part of RMI, to deliver tools and reports to improve trucking efficiency. Learn more at www.nacfe.org. Follow us on Twitter @NACFE_Freight.

About RMI

RMI is an independent nonprofit founded in 1982 that transforms global energy systems through market-driven solutions to align with a 1.5°C future and secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all. We work in the world’s most critical geographies and engage businesses, policymakers, communities, and NGOs to identify and scale energy system interventions that will cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 50 percent by 2030. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Oakland, California; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing. More information on RMI can be found at www.rmi.org or follow us on Twitter @RockyMtnInst.