Climate change poses a significant threat to future generations, primarily driven by the emission of greenhouse gases. Freight transportation, including trucks, airplanes, and trains, plays a major role in contributing to this issue. Specifically, road transportation accounts for the majority (62%) of global greenhouse gas emissions from freight transportation. Experts in the industry predict an increase in truck travel distance in future scenarios of freight transport.
Efforts are being made to reduce emissions from road transportation, and one proposed solution is transitioning from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), particularly in the case of freight transportation and battery-electric trucks (BETs). However, a challenge with this approach is battery degradation, which reduces the capacity of the batteries and is influenced by various factors such as driving cycles, charging methods, and weather conditions surrounding the BEVs. Moreover, driving cycles depend on battery depletion, where heavy usage may degrade the battery faster while delivering better performance in the short term, whereas lighter usage preserves more battery capacity but compromises the achievable driving distance.
These concerns raise questions about battery charging, optimal battery use to ensure sufficient range and availability when needed, and potential solutions when the battery degrades beyond the usefulness for BETs. One possible approach to address these issues is the modularization of batteries, enabling their replacement without dismantling the entire vehicle when they no longer meet the vehicle's requirements. Although batteries remain a promising energy system for future road transportation, it is crucial to find answers regarding their usage. This includes minimizing degradation and ensuring efficient truck usage.
The environmental impact of the large number of batteries required for BEVs also deserves attention. Sustainability considerations necessitate the reuse or recycling of batteries. Degraded electric vehicle batteries are increasingly being repurposed in stationary applications such as energy storage systems. Currently, batteries are typically considered to reach their End-of-Life when they degrade to approximately 80% of their original capacity. However, they still retain a significant amount of energy capacity and may be suitable for the needs of battery-electric vehicles. One potential solution to extend battery life is to transfer them to vehicles with lower load requirements as their degradation progresses. For instance, a battery from a long-haul truck could be moved to a short-haul truck with shorter range requirements. Eventually, when the battery no longer meets the needs of the short-haul truck, it could find a new purpose in End-of-Life applications like stationary energy storage. However, further investigation is needed to determine the feasibility of this approach.
A previous study utilized a simulation model to evaluate the performance of various truck configurations in different scenarios, which were independently developed in another study. Developing a similar simulation model that considers financial and circular aspects for these scenarios can provide additional insights and guide decision-making based on potential future approaches
