Transportation buzz: e-trucks, e-buses, e-bikes

January 30, 2015 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Does it seem like the buzz over transportation is all electric, all the time? If not, it soon could be, as the sale of four-wheel electric drive and electric-assisted commercial vehicles is expected to jump tenfold and innovation in engine-powered two-wheeled transportation is also accelerating.

E-bicycle lockers outside El Cerrito Plaza (BART rail station) in San Francisco. Credit: Bryce Nesbitt/Wikimedia Commons

Navigant Research predicts worldwide sales of electric commercial vehicles to grow from less than 16,000 in 2014 to nearly 160,000 in 2023.

All electric power for commercial vehicles is challenging because of the sheer size of the battery packs required to store and deliver enough energy to drive heavy vehicles over practical distances, but as battery technology improves, electric hybrids are gaining traction in commercial applications where the technology offers significant benefits for drive cycles that involve a lot of city driving in stop-start traffic. Navigant expects diesel hybrid drive to remain the most popular of the electrically assisted medium- and heavy-duty vehicle powertrains through 2023 while battery-electric commercial vehicles will see growth in demand within urban fleets that average low daily mileage.

Increases in electric-drive trucks and buses globally is anticipated to remain low; Navigant predicts an increase from 0.4 percent in 2014 to just 2.9 percent in 2023. The highest penetration will occur in regions with dense urban conglomerations where governments are taking steps to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from city traffic, says Navigant, the highest being Japan who is forecast to reach 21.2 percent by 2023.

Innovation in engine-powered two-wheeled transportation is also accelerating. The market for e-bicycles is expected to expand driven by combined throttle-control and pedal-assist models, electric cargo bicycles, all-in-one retrofit kits and wheels, 3D-printed bicycles, and the use of e-bikes in security applications, according to Navigant. In fact, sales are predicted to surpass 360 million worldwide annually by 2023 thanks to young consumers in North America and Western Europe choosing e-bicycles for urban commutes.

"In addition to new technologies, economic and environmental market forces are also shaping the global e-bicycle industry," said Ryan Citron, research associate with Navigant Research. "Governments are offering support for sustainable transportation, while consumers are finding value in this alternative mode of transportation as a way of avoiding traffic and high fuel prices, and navigating congested urban areas."

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http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/transportation-buzz-e-trucks-e-buses-e-bikes/2015-01-30