While alternative fuel commercial trucks are gaining interest from fleet operators, diesel is still set to dominate medium- and heavy-duty vehicles for several years. That statement came from Kary Schaefer, general manager of marketing and strategy for Daimler Trucks North America, during a keynote speech last week at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. Daimler Trucks is taking alternative fuels seriously, but it pales in comparison to its full diesel-powered truck lineup as the world’s largest truck manufacturer. Daimler’s Freightliner Trucks subsidiary offers natural gas-powered trucks, and its Fuso division is rolling out the eCanter electric medium-duty truck and the E-Fuso Class 8 electric truck. Daimler Trucks sees itself becoming competitive with the Tesla Semi-electric heavy-duty truck and other electric commercial vehicles coming to market.
Schaefer said that diesel will be the transportation fuel of choice for fleet operators for the foreseeable future. Speaking at the conference’s Green Truck Summit, Schaefer acknowledged that alternative fuels and green technologies will play a significant role in the trucking industry. For now, diesel is still the most efficient and cost-effective fuel and that will be the case for quite a few years, the Daimler executive said.Schaefer analyzed the challenges that companies like Tesla will have in selling electric vehicles to trucking companies that haul goods over long stretches of highway.Natural gas and electric have become the most talked-about alternative to diesel, but their limitations are causing fleet operators to explore the business costs and practicality, she said. Limited fueling and charging stations, compared to ample diesel fueling pumps around the world, highlight one of the most serious challenges alternative fuels face in reaching adoption in the commercial vehicle sector.