Popular Posts Ten questions before adding battery electric trucks to your fleet THWART SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES WITH EXTENDED DRAIN INTERVALS Battery maintenance to combat the changing temperatures 6 Tips To Improve Work Truck Ergonomics and Tech Comfort These truck tire checks should be routine Connect with us advertise with us
Ten questions before adding battery electric trucks to your fleet
THWART SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES WITH EXTENDED DRAIN INTERVALS
Battery maintenance to combat the changing temperatures
6 Tips To Improve Work Truck Ergonomics and Tech Comfort
These truck tire checks should be routine
Popular Posts Ten questions before adding battery electric trucks to your fleet THWART SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES WITH EXTENDED DRAIN INTERVALS Battery maintenance to combat the changing temperatures 6 Tips To Improve Work Truck Ergonomics and Tech Comfort These truck tire checks should be routine Connect with us advertise with us
Ten questions before adding battery electric trucks to your fleet
THWART SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES WITH EXTENDED DRAIN INTERVALS
Battery maintenance to combat the changing temperatures
6 Tips To Improve Work Truck Ergonomics and Tech Comfort
These truck tire checks should be routine
Sponsored By D-A Lubricant Company, Inc.
Coolants: What You Need to Know to Prevent Downtime
Sponsored By D-A Lubricant Company, Inc.
Did you know coolant is just as important as your engine oil when it comes to your fleet? Coolant needs to be monitored and tested because mechanical and/or chemical reactions can take place hindering the performance of the coolant. Coolant can break down and become less effective over time. Not monitoring the coolant could result in corrosion and/or sludge, which can impact proper function of the cooling system. If the cooling system becomes damaged, you risk the possibility of the engine overheating causing downtime for your business.
Want to learn more about coolants? Attend this webinar to learn about:
Speakers Emily Featherston, Product Application Supervisor, POLARIS Laboratories Joe Heitker, Senior Director of Strategic Sales, KOST USA, Inc. Jason Morgan, Editor, Fleet Equipment
Sponsored By D-A Lubricant Company, Inc.
Fleet Equipment covers all the latest industry news and in-depth features related to trucks, tractors and trailers, including detailed information on the latest equipment components. Fleet Equipment tracks industry equipment trends, focusing on the issues that help fleets run the most efficient and productive trucks on the road. Fleet Equipment’s detailed editorial focused squarely on the equipment makes it an excellent resource for every fleet. The experienced editorial staff provides insights and solutions based on their many years in the trucking industry. Access to digital editions, contests, news, and more are ready for you today!
Fleet Equipment covers all the latest industry news and in-depth features related to trucks, tractors and trailers, including detailed information on the latest equipment components. Fleet Equipment tracks industry equipment trends, focusing on the issues that help fleets run the most efficient and productive trucks on the road. Fleet Equipment’s detailed editorial focused squarely on the equipment makes it an excellent resource for every fleet. The experienced editorial staff provides insights and solutions based on their many years in the trucking industry. Access to digital editions, contests, news, and more are ready for you today!
When it comes to running electric trucks, It’s a Long Way to the Top if you’re starting from the bottom. It’s a whole new set...
Fuel prices are high, so naturally, you’re probably looking into integrating electric trucks into your fleet so you can save some cheddar at the fuel...
Let’s say the boss is looking for your latest total cost of ownership data. So, you start adding up all the tiniest details to get...
So, you’ve done the research to determine the right battery electric trucks for your fleet, but equally as important is knowing your charging needs.Click Here...
Let’s say a Level 4 automated truck is driving along and – oh sorry, does that make you uncomfortable? Even if data could prove to...
The first thing you need to know about Cummins’s engine strategy is its fuel-agnostic approach in both its heavy- and medium-duty engine lineups. What that...
There’s no substitute for climbing into the cab of a brand new truck, taking the driver seat, sliding your hand across the wheel and taking...
It seems counter intuitive–bringing diesel fuel to your trucks to meet your sustainability goals. Yet, decarbonization starts with fuel efficiency, and what’s more efficient fuel...
The only thing worse than starting your vehicle and seeing warning lights appear on your dash is finding out about the problem while you’re on...
Weak batteries that worked fine in the warm weather all of the sudden can’t provide the energy to crank the engine when the temperature starts...
As time goes on, more and more ways of doing something are being discovered and while that sounds great, it can be hard to keep...
Service: Mitsubishi HC Capital America’s Work Truck division achieves $1 billion in originations
Technology: Rand McNally expands asset tracking on the new Rand Platform
Components: Hexagon successfully acquires 40% stake in Cryoshelter
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David Sickels is the Senior Editor of Fleet Equipment. He has a history of working in the media, marketing and automotive industries in both print and online.
When it comes to running electric trucks, It’s a Long Way to the Top if you’re starting from the bottom. It’s a whole new set of rules, and when you’re talking about High Voltage, you need to get the details right if you want to get your numbers Back in Black.
Shameless song title plugs aside, today we’re talking about AC/DC. But we’re going beyond the legendary half-century-old Aussie rock band, and heading into the territory of knowing which you should plan to use to grab a decent charge for your electric trucks.
You’re likely in charge of setting up your fleet’s EV charging infrastructure, but how do you decide what kind of power you need? And should you have both on deck, just in case? Let’s talk about that.
Click here to watch more of FE’s On the Road video series.
Let’s talk power: AC Power can provide you with an electrical current of 16-80 amps. AC charging tops out at about 19 kilowatts, but one of the biggest advantages here is that standard building wiring can typically support an AC charger. No crazy infrastructure requirement is necessarily needed, here.
DC Power, on the other hand, will likely require an additional on-site electrical infrastructure investment to support this kind of energy from your utilities. The trade-off here is that this form of energy typically starts above 20 kilowatts – meaning DC starts where AC tops out – and the average deployment is closer to 50 kilowatts or above.
DC Power tends to be a bit more… we’ll say, glamourous? Because it supports fast-charging capabilities. That’s where you start talking about power outputs of 150 kW, 200 kW and beyond.
So, AC charging: low voltage, slower charge, easy on the infrastructure needs. DC charging: high voltage, faster charge, more complicated infrastructure needs.
Now, whether a truck is charging on an AC charging station or a DC fast charging station, in both cases it’s the vehicle itself controlling the flow of energy to the battery. The difference is that the power conversion happening, meaning AC to DC, happens onboard the vehicle if you’re using an AC charger. When you’re using a DC charger, the AC to DC power conversion happens in the charging station instead.
Cost-wise, it’s always better to charge your trucks slow and low, meaning, at a low voltage for a longer period of time – that’s what AC charging is going to provide you. But that’s not always possible. Sometimes you simply don’t have the time to wait overnight or even longer to get a charge sufficient to meet your needs. So in many cases, you’ll find fleets will opt to install both AC and DC charging capabilities at their home base.
Of course, it’s important to note what kinds of trucks you’re running, how many electric trucks you’re running, and what your actual needs are. Many lighter-duty vehicles, for example, come standard with AC charging because they typically have smaller batteries and will support lower power charging for most situations needed in fleet operations.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If you have any questions on what will work best for your individual use case, check in with your OEM. They’ve seen it all, and they want to see your fleet succeed.
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