Electric trucks don't stand a chance, even in drayage, without more power infrastructure

This week's edition of the Overdrive Radio podcast examines the purpose of companies like Forum Mobility, a vehicle-charging-services and equipment leasing company. Company Regional Director Ron Hunt leads the podcast with a dose of e-truck skepticism, sounding in some ways like owner-operators who keep battery electric trucks at arm's length while tech and charging-infrastructure develop.

"Making trucks is great," he said of electric rigs. "But until you have infrastructure, they're not going to sell or be bought, or be usable." 

Hunt’s a veteran of the trucking world who got involved with electric-truck start-up Xos Trucks some time back. Yet what he learned led him to the charging-infrastructure side, in part given those absolutely huge barriers to any widespread adoption of electric Class 8s.

Overdrive Radio's sponsor is On October 25 we published the anchor story in a series around electric-drive-power realities, in which Alex Lockie unveiled and contextualized readers’ views on the current state of electrification as it relates the specific needs of their mostly OTR businesses. Putting it quite succinctly, here’s how one owner-operator commenter summed up current views on battery-electric Class 8 for OTR hauling: "It's not going to work, the power grid can't handle it, and the trucks don't go far enough on a charge."

Hunt and his colleagues at the Forum Mobility company aim to help on the grid front, and well realize any “electric revolution” will be a long time coming to trucking, even port drayage where they're specializing.