CCJ

July 2018

Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal

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22 commercial carrier journal | july 2018 that trucking is trying to reduce its carbon tire print. Michelin says that by 2048, all its tires will be manufactured using 80 percent sustainable materials, while 100 percent of its tires will be recycled. If a path to a recycling rate of 100 percent sounds ambitious, it is. "Seventy percent of the tires in the world are recovered," says Cyrille Roget, Michelin's group technical and scientific communications director. "Compare that to only 14 percent of plastic today that is recovered." Michelin tires currently are made using 28 percent sustainable materials — 26 percent biosourced materials such as natural rubber, sunflower oil and limonene, and 2 percent recycled materials such as steel and powdered tires. For the years ahead, Michelin is investing in high-technology recycling capabilities to increase this content to 80 percent sustainable materials. E lectric mobility may go a long way toward slashing fuel costs, but fleets are equally drawn to the technology because of the potential of reducing their carbon footprint. Some of us aren't comfortable riding on the bleeding edge of new technology, preferring to let the early adopters work out the kinks and bugs. However, there are ways to embrace green efforts without plopping down a hey sum to reserve an e-tractor. ere is a strong argument against electricity as a green alternative. Producing electricity can be a carbon-intensive process, but more and more power plants are being weaned off coal. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, there were about 8,084 power plants in the United States at the end of 2016. e same agency said more than 2 percent of coal-fired plants (4.5 gigawatts of energy) came offline in 2017 and were replaced by 11 gigawatts of natural gas and 8.5 gigawatts of wind — both greener ways to provide power. Green all over E-trucks may dominate the current headlines, but powertrain efficiencies aren't the only ways PRODUCT REVIEWS, OEM & SUPPLIER NEWS AND EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT TRENDS BY JASON CANNON Green transportation There's more to it than just electric trucks Powertrain efficiencies aren't the only ways that trucking is trying to reduce its carbon tire print. WATCH WHAT HAPPENS: Many prefer to let early technology adopters work out the kinks and bugs. HIDDEN COLORS: No solution – be it clean diesel, electricity or natural gas – is 100-per- cent green. WORTH THE COST: While green energy must justify the price, there's no need to break the bank.

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