Overdrive

30 | Overdrive | July 2017 I t hasn't been that many years since natural gas was pitched as the low-cost, low-emissions fuel of the future for trucking. In just the last year, trucking's fuel speculation has assumed an even more radical form: electricity. A Navigant Research report projects sales of electrified trucks will grow to more than 150,000 annually in just 10 years. That encompasses medium- and heavy-duty trucks and would account for about 5 percent of those trucks fore- casted to sell in 2026. Startup Nikola says that 8,000 of its electrified tractors have been ordered. More than 1,000 of the prospective buyers are owner-operators, according to the company. Given that no electric Class 8 vehicles exist for immediate sale today, selling 150,000 annually within 10 years would be remarkable. That would outpace sales growth seen so far in the still-fledgling electric passenger car seg- ment, which has grown steadily since its introduction in 2011. Developers of electrified trucks face the monumental task of replacing a status quo backed by a massive fuel- ing infrastructure, a well-entrenched manufacturer and support base and a larger-than-life legitimacy among many industry stakeholders. Questions also swirl around the unproven technology: Is it viable for long-haul trucking? How quickly can the infrastructure be built? Will there be one dominant technology or a vari- Jump start The electrified truck concept has taken on a real life, with players large and small vying for future shares of the Class 8 market. It's not only large fleets that are placing orders. BY JAMES JAILLET & TODD DILLS Trevor Milton, founder of Nikola Motor Co., unveiled the Nikola One at company headquarters in Salt Lake City in December. The company says it's taken reservations from hundreds of owner-operators.

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• COVER STORY: Jump start The electrified truck concept has taken on a real life, with players large and small vying for future shares of the Class 8 market. It’s not only large fleets that are placing orders.
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