The "Messy Middle" of Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicle Adoption

As the commercial vehicle industry navigates the transition to a more sustainable future, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) is actively engaging stakeholders with its "Run on Less" series.

Run on Less events are demonstration projects hosted by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) that showcase the real-world capabilities of freight efficiency technologies. Each event tracks fleets operating with advanced trucks and practices on actual routes, highlighting how to achieve significant fuel savings and environmental benefits through technology adoption. Essentially, the Run On Less series are real-world tests to prove the viability of efficient trucking practices in the industry.

The latest iteration in the series, dubbed the "Messy Middle," is set to explore the complexities and challenges of decarbonizing heavy-duty trucks and different truck trailer types.

“The messy middle refers to the challenges and difficulties that businesses face as they try to adopt emerging technologies like hydrogen, battery electric, and alternative fuels, such as a flex fuel vehicle, but the tech is still maturing, and the infrastructure is still lagging,” explains Mike Roeth, NACFE Executive Director. “The goal of this run is to showcase how some fleets are navigating this messy middle period as the industry transitions to more sustainable commercial vehicle solutions.”

As the participating fleets are prepping and then running and operating as usual, NACFE will host relevant webinar “boot camps,” which Roeth describes as "bringing in the people that really know what they're talking about.”

The grand finale of the Messy Middle run is the "show of the run" in September, where the real-world experiences of these pioneering fleets will be showcased. As Roeth eloquently states, "These events feature the real people, the ones that do this for a living day in and day out. That's why these events are so powerful; it's not just us at NACFE saying something. This is like, ‘Hi, I'm Sally, and I drive this alt-fuel semi daily for work. And here's what I like about it, here's what I don't like about it.’ So it's all very real."

The 13-part webinar program will delve into the various solutions as follows;

• Feb. 11 at 1:00 p.m. ET: Diesel/Nat Gas Session 1 — Diesel Drop-In Alternatives: Ultra-Low Sulfur, Bio-, and Renewable. Experts in this session will discuss how diesel and its drop-in alternatives can continue to play a role in the Messy Middle.
• Feb. 25 at 1:00 p.m. ET:  Diesel/Nat Gas Session 2 — Decarbonizing with Natural Gas. In this session, experts will highlight how fleets have seen success in adopting natural gas-based solutions and what the buzz about renewable natural gas is all about.
• Mar. 11 at 1:00 p.m. ET: Diesel/Nat Gas Session 3 — Future Prices & Availability of Existing Infrastructure: What's Next? This session sets out to explore how infrastructure considerations affect diesel and natural gas user options, and understand opportunities and limitations given new sourcing models. 
• Apr. 8 at 1:00 p.m. ET: BEV Session 1 — The Current State of HD BEV: Technologies and Capabilities. In this session, experts will review the market availability of long-haul specific operations.
• Apr. 22 at 1:00 p.m. ET: BEV Session 2 — Strategizing Successful HD BEV Adoption. Fleets in this session will tell their adoption stories and share how their experiences could impact future adoption.
• May 6 at 1:00 p.m. ET: BEV Session 3 — Charging Depots, Networks, and the Economics of Fleet Electrification. Experts in this session will discuss best practices for depot development and begin exploring opportunities to build out charging networks beyond available government incentives. 
• June 3 at 1:00p.m. ET: H2 Session 1 — The Production Processes of Hydrogen Fuel. Experts in this session will cover the basics of the hydrogen molecule, its production processes, and its carbon intensity. 
• June 17 at 1:00 p.m. ET: H2 Session 2 — Moving Hydrogen from Here to There: The Distribution and Storage of Hydrogen Fuel. In this session, experts will discuss the current state of the hydrogen fuel distribution and storage ecosystem and what advancements need to be made to further industry adoption.
• July 1 at 1:00 p.m. ET: H2 Session 3 — The Opportunities and Challenges of Selling Hydrogen to the Industry. Experts in this session will highlight the opportunities and challenges of hydrogen fuel retail, and what needs to happen in order for hydrogen fuel to hold a competitive advantage in the market. 

NACFE recognizes the participating fleet managers and drivers as pioneers in the industry. As Roeth notes, "The participants are the ones actually developing strategies to overcome these obstacles and challenges. We always encourage people engaging in the webinars to find participating fleets and companies that resonate and then sort of follow them through the series."

The "Messy Middle" event promises to help enlighten the industry's journey towards a more sustainable future. By bringing together experts, fleet managers, and industry stakeholders, NACFE is paving the way for meaningful progress and innovation in the commercial vehicle sector.

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