Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/599505
18 www.FlatbedTruckingJobs.com December 2015 well as winners) used the data learned during races to continually upgrade and improve their products. As a result, the automobile progressed rapidly from a curiosity to a play-thing for the wealthy to a dependable, afford- able means of transportation for every- day families. Bearing all that in mind, it was with interest last week that I noted a tweet by millionaire entrepreneur and adventurer Richard Branson highlighting his Formula E electric car racing initiative. You've probably seen Branson on TV: he's the long-haired CEO of Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines, and he's constantly running all over the globe, setting endurance records in balloons, racing yachts, pioneering space tourism or advocating causes close to his heart. And one of his new causes is proving the viability and usefulness of electric powered vehicles. We know that electric-powered vans and trucks will play important roles in freight delivery. This isn't theory: electric delivery vans are already common in European cities. And industry thought-leaders like UPS and FedEx are already working with similar vehicles here in the States. Of course, there are currently many problems with electric vehicles that make fl eet managers doubtful as to how useful they'll every actually be. Chief among these are range anxiety (directly related to current battery charge-capacity limita- tions) and system recharging times. Those problems are exactly the kind of technological barriers racing helped gasoline-powered cars overcome 100 years ago. It's only logical to assume manufac- turers and engineers will become to work out solutions to electric vehicle limitations on racetracks today. And eventually, those enhancements will fi nd their way onto future production delivery vans. Several Formula E sponsors, such as Michelin, QualComm and DHL, have clear connections to the trucking indus- try. So clearly there is a method to this madness, so to speak. Racing electric cars may seem like a lark today. But there will likely be real-world payoffs in trucking tomorrow. F TRUCKING TOOLS