Transportation and logistics companies play a critical role in distributing goods across the country and around the world. With the exponential growth and adoption of e-commerce — driven in large part by the rise in online shopping during the pandemic — transportation companies became pressed to grow and scale their operations seemingly overnight in order to keep up with demand for both the goods consumers desire and the shorter time frames in which they expect to receive them.
However, as these companies look to grow their operations, they are also faced with the pressure to meet sustainability requirements. Federal and state regulations calling for more sustainable supply chains and reduced Scope 3 carbon emissions are forcing companies to look for ways to meet environmental goals while expanding their fleets.
Companies seeking to reduce their carbon footprint typically look toward electrification as the most intuitive path forward. However, replacing traditional diesel tractors with EVs quickly becomes cost prohibitive for most companies, as EVs can cost exponentially more per unit than a diesel tractor.
To provide a more scalable alternative to full electrification, Range Energy has introduced an eTrailer System, which provides electric propulsion assistance for any current dry van or refrigerated trailer. Because it can be used with current equipment, fleets are able to add them onto any existing trailer and achieve immediate cost savings and emissions reductions without compromising operational growth.
The Dual Challenge: Scaling Operations and Meeting Emissions Targets
As fleets look to add more trucks in order to grow and scale their operations, purchasing additional diesel tractors would be counterproductive to the call for reduced emissions. Along with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) working to cap medium- and heavy-duty vehicle emissions and move toward zero emissions, many fleets are also required to report their emissions in order to identify areas for improvement. More and more, they are also facing pressure from their shipper customers to reduce their environmental impact in order to achieve more sustainable supply chains.
While many fleets are looking toward EV tractors to help meet their sustainability goals, they can often be too costly and require too great of an infrastructure investment to be scalable for a full fleet. Reports from Ryder and Knight-Swift indicate that EV tractors cost up to $300,000 more per unit than diesel units and have been found to have a lower-than-expected mileage range (165 miles) compared to an average length of haul of 500 miles, resulting in lower operational efficiency.
Scalable Solutions: Hybrid Trailers for Emission Reduction
Hybrid trailer systems like Range Energy’s eTrailer System present a practical, cost-effective way to decarbonize fleets while allowing them to grow and keep up with demand. Because they can bolt onto any existing dry van or refrigerated trailer, fleets are not faced with the need to replace their current equipment, and within just a few hours, any existing trailer can be converted to a hybrid unit for immediate efficiency gains and cost savings — all while helping them meet sustainability goals.
Three Ways Hybrid Trailers Support Sustainability at Scale
For fleets looking to expand their operations while achieving greater sustainability, hybrid trailers can support their efforts in three key ways.
Significant Emissions Reduction with Immediate Impact
Fleets utilizing the Range Energy eTrailer System realize immediate cost savings and efficiency gains as soon as the system is bolted onto an existing trailer, which takes just a few short hours. Due to electric propulsion assistance that helps to power the trailer while reducing strain on the tractor, fleets are able to improve MPG by 50-70% while reducing their carbon emissions by half and cutting fuel costs by as much as 40%.
Seamless Integration with Fleet Expansion
As fleets look to expand, the eTrailer System provides a seamless way to help fleets pursue greater sustainability while experiencing minimal disruption to their operations. It is also compatible with both dry van and refrigerated trailers and requires no major updates to existing infrastructure or operations, giving fleets flexibility in how they choose to grow.
Long-Term Operational Efficiency
The eTrailer System enables fleets to remain compliant with state and federal mandates while avoiding costly penalties over the long term while improving efficiency and lowering fuel costs immediately. As more states begin to roll out sustainability requirements and as fuel costs continue to increase, hybrid trailers will give fleets the ability to continue scaling their operations while saving on fuel and reducing their risk of noncompliance with future regulations.
Greater Efficiency
As fleets look to expand their operations while facing greater pressure to meet sustainability requirements, a hybrid approach to electrification may hold the key to scaling their operations while ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations — and ensuring greener supply chains for their shipper customers. Range Energy’s eTrailer System offers a flexible alternative to full electrification, allowing fleets to convert any existing dry van or reefer trailer into a hybrid unit for immediate cost savings and efficiency gains with minimum impact to their operations.
To learn more about the Range Energy eTrailer System, complete our Pilot interest form to have a member of our team contact you to schedule a demo.