Commercial electric trucks are already here and present a promising opportunity to decarbonize the freight industry. However, given the lack of public charging stations and limited range, there are many challenges and scenarios to consider on the path to a more sustainable freight ecosystem. Uber Freight’s network insights hold critical information that can empower the ecosystem to overcome these obstacles.

Uber Freight envisions a future of optimized clean transportation. That’s why we announced our commitment to shift 80% of our global brokerage shipments to clean transportation by 2040. Underpinning this promise, we announced today a collaboration with Greenlane that will accelerate the development and installation of public charging infrastructure for Heavy Duty Battery Electric Vehicles (HDBEVs). 

Our latest initiative is the unveiling of new research that reveals a roadmap for the thoughtful deployment and adoption of electric trucks at scale. Utilizing our vast network data, we analyzed 500,000 dry van loads that are representative of US freight movements and developed a model for the optimal development and deployment of charging stations across large markets and strategic freight corridors to meaningfully address sustainability within the freight industry. Our analysis builds on announced regulations such as the Inflation Reduction Act, the proposed EPA Clean Air Act, and the Advanced Clean Trucks rule which has been adopted in several states.

Among the key findings of the research are:

Local hauls in large markets can be rapidly electrified and should serve as the starting point for deployment. 

• Our research suggests that starting with local hauls is a good first step toward electrification due to the limitations of today’s charging infrastructure. If charging stations are located strategically, only a few stations are needed in each market to accelerate electric truck adoption.
• Markets like Los Angeles, Ontario, Atlanta, Dallas, and New York are strong early candidates. ​​For example, in Dallas / Fort Worth: 10 charging stations are enough to provide early adopters with access to most local loads, accounting for 95% of local freight miles.
• Optimizing truck charger locations remains a complex task with many variables, including shippers’ locations, grid readiness, throughput time-of-day, locations of truck depots, and land availability.
• Although they account for a quarter of all freight loads in the U.S., local hauls (those less than 150 miles) account for a small fraction (3.2%) of the miles traveled. Therefore, electrifying the interstate system, which carries more than half of all trucking miles, is critical to achieving a meaningful reduction in freight emissions.

Interstate electrification is key to driving meaningful change. 

• Interstates represent 1.2% of total roadway length in the U.S. but carry 55% of freight miles. 
• Long-distance freight electrification requires heavier investments, but will likely have higher ROI because higher mileage means greater asset utilization. Initial long-distance deployment is most likely to happen on busy, but short interstate corridors.
• Currently, most heavy-duty electric trucks have a maximum range of 200 miles, and chargers are generally not available along the interstate system. However, if OEMs are able to double the range to 400 miles in the coming years, and chargers become more available on a given lane, for example, 9 chargers per 1000 miles, then two thirds of all heavy-duty loads on that lane could be addressable by ETs, accounting for more than half of the freight miles.

Even with a limited truck range of 300 miles, over 75% of truck miles in the U.S. can be electrified – but only if charging infrastructure is available ubiquitously.

• As electric trucks scale, the power capacity of charging stations will become the largest constraint, even for local freight. North America’s grid must be prepared to add significant capacity to address new truck electricity demand.
• Research estimates that in the next decade, by 2035 North America’s grid must be prepared to add 230 TWh of new truck electricity demand, including power for nearly 150,000 fast public chargers and 860,000 depot chargers.
• Shipper facilities might be good candidates for doubling as charging stations. With additional charging stations at shippers’ facilities, our results show that charging at facilities can increase the number of addressable loads by about 12%, and increase the number of addressable miles by about 8%. Public and shared chargers can complement private ones and accelerate adoption by eliminating the financial barriers for carriers that cannot invest in private chargers.
• Our research reveals the regions and corridors that are prime for early electrification, and uncovers how infrastructure development is expected to progress over time. To optimize market penetration, the first stage of deployment will likely see electrification along busy, but relatively short, interstate corridors like the Texas Triangle lanes connecting Dallas to Houston and San Antonio, and the I-5 corridor between Los Angeles and Stockton.
• In later stages, the majority of the interstate system in the eastern US should be electrified.

Insights like these are critical for optimizing and accelerating the necessary rollout of electric trucks to further decarbonize supply chains. With a rich dataset of $18B of freight under management (FUM) and expertise in data analytics and freight sustainability, Uber Freight can improve reliability and cost-effectiveness for shippers by optimizing routes, ultimately maximizing the utilization of electric trucks across entire networks. We are uniquely positioned to help the industry navigate the logistical complexities of integrating and deploying electric vehicles at scale due to our network size, industry-leading marketplace technology, and partnerships and pilot programs with EV infrastructure leaders, truck developers, and carriers in our network. The research was also independently reviewed and validated by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), a non-profit organization that works to promote the development and adoption of cost-effective, environmentally beneficial, and efficiency-enhancing technologies, services, and operational practices in the North American freight industry. 

For further analysis from Uber Freight about the roadmap to electrification, download the full white paper.

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Demand for Heavy Duty Battery Electric Vehicles (HDBEVs) is steadily on the rise, as companies look to meet climate-forward societal standards, quickly-approaching emissions reduction regulations, and their own ESG goals. In fact, 77% of U.S. shippers are considering them today or in the future. However, the availability and accessibility of adequate charging infrastructure is one of the largest hurdles for making commercial electric truck adoption and deployment a reality.

To accelerate the development and installation of public charging infrastructure for HDBEVs, Uber Freight and public electric truck charging solutions provider Greenlane, a $650 million joint venture between Daimler Truck North America, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC and BlackRock (through a fund managed by its Climate Infrastructure business), today announced a collaboration that’ll pave the way for greener supply chains ahead.   

Through this collaboration, Greenlane will leverage insights from Uber Freight’s logistics network, representing $18 billion in active Freight Under Management (FUM), to unlock critical learnings regarding the future development and installation of public charging stations on roads in North America, starting with the United States. Uber Freight’s vast network data will augment Greenlane’s own data analysis to determine corridors that are prime candidates for early HDBEV deployment, charging infrastructure needs, and the addressability of shipping lanes for electrification. Additionally, the two organizations will explore leveraging Uber Freight’s marketplace technology to potentially create in-application charging appointment scheduling, surface Greenlane charging stations, fuel card discounts, and more directly to carriers.

Ultimately, Uber Freight’s network insights will be critical for Greenlane’s mission of building a nationwide charging network for commercial vehicles – starting with development of its first charging corridors in Southern California, followed by the Texas Triangle and northeastern United States. 

“I am delighted that we will be working with Uber Freight to accelerate BEV adoption and help reduce the carbon footprint of freight distribution,” said Patrick Macdonald-King, CEO of Greenlane. “Our national network of EV charging and hydrogen fueling stations together with our Uber Freight collaboration will make the electrification transition easier for shippers. Together, we will pave the way for a greener and more efficient future in logistics.”

In addition, Uber Freight also unveiled a new whitepaper exemplifying the types of data-driven insights Greenlane will consider as it explores where, and when, to install its end-to-end charging stations. Uber Freight utilized its own network data – representative of 500,000 dry van loads that took place in 2022 – to better understand where charging stations are needed to meaningfully enable the deployment of HDBEVs and address sustainability challenges within the freight industry. Included in this analysis are findings regarding lane and region prioritization, facility enhancement recommendations for customers, and more. Click here for a deep dive unpacking the data and click here to download the research – which was independently reviewed and validated by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE).

While major research and advances have been made in recent years for HDBEVs, there remains a lack of a publicly available, nationwide electric charging infrastructure for commercial vehicle fleets, especially for long-haul freight operations. Uber Freight’s network insights enhance the ability to develop and install public charging stations, which provides fleets with the confidence to run electric capacity without compromising on service expectations. Ultimately, this helps the industry at large meet the growing market demand for HDBEVs while addressing the unique challenges of sustainable logistics, setting the roadmap that will expedite the rollout of zero-emission freight transportation.

The demand from fleets and shippers to go electric grows daily. In fact, a recent survey conducted by Uber Freight and FreightWaves, 13% of U.S. shippers indicated that they are currently utilizing electric trucks – and they’re willing to pay an extra $90 per load for green transportation using electric trucks or other renewable fuels. 

“Electric trucks present a tremendous opportunity to help decarbonize supply chains and significantly reduce global emissions,” said Lior Ron, CEO of Uber Freight. “We are thrilled to work with Greenlane on this initiative, as this collaboration exemplifies our commitment to reducing the impact of logistics on the environment and further establishes Uber Freight as a leading logistics network choice for customers looking to adopt and deploy electric trucks.”

This collaboration with Greenlane further exemplifies Uber Freight’s commitment to reducing the impact of logistics on the environment and decarbonizing global supply chains. In November, Uber Freight announced its company-wide sustainability commitments to shift 80% of global brokerage shipments to clean transportation by 2040 and achieve net-zero climate emissions with global corporate operations by 2030. Uber Freight also unveiled a new emissions dashboard that provides unparalleled visibility into emissions across a company’s logistics network to empower more sustainable decision-making. 

The road to transforming supply chain sustainability and unlocking widespread freight electrification will be constrained by the maturity of the technology and availability of relevant infrastructure. However, it’s these types of commitments, key industry collaborations, network optimization, logistics expertise and cutting-edge technology that make Uber Freight uniquely positioned to help lead the charge. 

Contact us to learn more about how Uber Freight, a leading logistics network of choice for freight electrification, can help shippers and carriers electrify their supply chain strategies.

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