Choosing the right alternative to fight pollution

By Colin Windell

The arguments rage on unabated as to whether the solution to the global pollution problem from vehicle exhausts will come from electricity, hydrogen, bio-fuel or any of the sources under consideration.

However, these are – at present – all global solutions whereas a study group from the University of Calgary, Alberta in Canada has recently published findings that point to more localised solutions.

The research group believes the future of freight in Alberta will be heavily reliant on the use of hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks, stating hydrogen electric vehicles offer comparable range, towing power and torque to diesel.

The result boils down to the fact the province has an abundance of natural gas reserves that can be utilised by employing a reforming process called steam methane reforming to produce hydrogen. Renewable energies such as wind can also be used with electrolysis technology to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

The research examined some of the potential zero emission vehicles on the market, including the hydrogen fuel cell electric truck Nikola One and fully electric Tesla Semi

Negatives such as lengthy charging times, the weight of batteries and an inability to travel long distances, were reasons fully electric trucks were not seen as being the best option for Alberta and Canada as a whole.

Overall, trucking in Canada produces 80% of the emissions from all freight transportation, with an annual consumption of approximately 18-billion litres of diesel a year.

According to the study, transformative change would be a move from the traditional diesel combustion engine – which is incredibly inefficient – to an alternative that would not only dramatically reduce carbon emissions, but also be a viable and worthwhile option for the industry.

Moreover, when a “dead-end pathway” is forced upon the freight sector, such as propane, LNG and ethanol, carriers tend to grow tired of the idea of using alternative fuels.

Many of these are also targeted to reach short-term environmental goals and ignore the big picture, so any change to the industry must be able to meet economic goals and be credible so investors will buy in, as well as reach long-term environmental targets.

Charging time is another issue with battery -powered trucks. Even with a fast charger, which knocks the time down to around five to six hours, time is an issue compared to how long it takes to refuel a diesel truck – and, if all trucks in Alberta were to switch over to battery electric, the province’s electric capacity would need to increase six fold.

Perhaps it is time for some heads to be put together to examine the alternatives and find a long-term solution for our own trucking industry.