Six steps for managing your fleet’s energy budget
By CHRISTOPHER LYON | NTEA — The Association for the Work Truck Industry
The simplest techniques for reducing fuel costs, such as proper tire inflation, have been recognized for so long that they are often downplayed. However, when implemented correctly, they can be very effective. (Shutterstock photo)
Because a typical vocational fleet spends a large portion of its total operating budget on energy/fuel, fleet managers are always looking to reduce energy costs. There are really only two methods for doing so: consuming less of the energy you are currently using and switching to a lower-cost energy source. While this sounds cut and dried, actual implementation can be complex due to the nearly limitless configurations and designed mission capabilities of work trucks.
First, most fleets have to maintain service during any conversion process. They also may have to figure out how to relocate vehicles on an emergency, short-term or permanent basis.
Funding is another important consideration. Depending on how a fleet approaches energy cost reduction, it could require significant capital expenditures, one-time expense payouts, and ongoing supplemental maintenance and operating costs. Assuming the required funding is available, a fleet manager might need to prove an acceptable return on investment within a reasonable payback period.
This article outlines six steps fleet managers can take to determine the best ways to maximize their fleets’ energy budgets.
Analyze drive and duty cycles
When utilizing hybrid vehicles to save energy and fuel, the selected technology should be matched to the drive and duty cycles. (Shutterstock photo)
Because the effectiveness of energy reduction technologies is generally closely related to a fleet’s drive cycles, fleet managers can utilize drive cycle data to identify technologies that could reduce their energy budgets. They can also use duty cycle data to determine if the projected savings associated with an alternative are adequate to cover the investment and provide the desired ROI. Remember, a single fleet can have multiple drive and duty cycles, so one approach to energy cost reduction might not work across the board. Also, drive and duty cycles are frequently seasonally dependent, especially in areas with harsh winter weather.
Remember the basics
In many cases, the simplest and most economical approach to reducing energy costs is to simply consume less energy. There are several tried-and-true steps fleets can take. A short list of these approaches includes:
- Maintain proper tire inflation
- Reduce vehicle weight
- Reduce rolling resistance
- Passive idle reduction (driver coaching, reminder signs, etc.)
- Maintain vehicles properly
Going beyond these somewhat passive approaches, fleet managers can take action to make new or existing vehicles more efficient. Since the powertrains of newer vehicles are computer-controlled, fleets can often re-map the engine performance curves and transmission shift points of their trucks to improve overall powertrain efficiency. When ordering new trucks, carefully choosing and matching components to specific drive and duty cycles can produce impressive energy reductions.
Implement telematics and driver behavior modification
There are a number of ways to improve vehicle operational efficiency. Two approaches that provide great potential are telematics and driver behavior modification. The most familiar application of telematics in the vocational fleet environment is GPS functionality. This technology can have a direct impact on operating costs by reducing miles driven. Going beyond this aspect of telematics, the ability to track vehicle condition in real time offers multiple possibilities for energy management. By mapping the PCM to the telematics system, fleet managers can read system fault codes, tire pressures and other information. By using an exception reporting system, vehicles with defects are flagged so repairs can be made at the earliest opportunity. The data collected can also be used to develop drive cycle profiles and identify issues such as hard acceleration and braking, sudden radial maneuvers and engine idle time.
The driver impacts overall fuel economy by as much as 30 percent. The most effective behavior programs provide the driver with real-time performance feedback. Something as simple as instantaneous fuel economy feedback on the vehicle’s dash can be effective.
Consider hybrid and electrification technology
Hybrid and electrification technology can be effective choices. They reduce energy costs in several ways:
- Allowing the engine to operate in an optimum efficiency range
- Recapturing kinetic energy normally lost during braking
- Capturing surplus engine energy for use later (driveline or power export)
- Facilitating engine idle management
- Allowing for the primary vehicle power source to be downsized
When utilizing hybrid vehicles, the selected technology should be matched to the drive and duty cycles. Many vocational trucks are driven a relatively limited number of miles per day so the efficiencies associated with full hybrid drivetrains might not justify the cost and complexity of such a system. This has resulted in the development of worksite hybrids. These vehicles utilize surplus engine power, stored as electric energy and sometimes supplemented by plug-in battery charging, to operate truck-mounted equipment without having to run the primary engine. This technology is much simpler than full hybrid powertrains, but still provides substantial idle time reductions during stationary worksite operations. Idle management can be further enhanced by using the system to maintain cab heating and cooling.
Evaluate lower-cost energy options
Compressed natural gas, currently the most commonly used natural gas variant, imposes weight and space penalties on trucks: so it may not be feasible to convert existing trucks to use CNG. Most of these weight and space issues can be addressed when designing new vehicles. (Shutterstock photo)
Fleet managers have several lower-cost energy options such as biodiesel, electricity, natural gas and propane.
Biodiesel is generally more expensive than conventional diesel fuel; however, in some regulatory environments, it offers significant tax advantages that may result in lower total cost. In these areas, biodiesel represents a significant opportunity for fleet managers, since it is basically a drop-in replacement for conventional diesel. The primary expense associated with conversion to biodiesel is cleaning fuel storage tanks before taking delivery and changing fuel filters frequently until the biodiesel has cleaned all residue out of the vehicle tanks.
Electricity is typically the lowest-cost alternative fuel available to fleets, and when the capabilities of an available vehicle fit the associated drive and duty cycles, operating cost savings are very attractive. But electric trucks are limited in availability and range/ speed capabilities. Upfront costs can be high, as they require a fairly large capital investment and, in some cases, significant infrastructure investments for charging systems and grid tie charges.
An alternative to pure electric trucks is the extended-range electric truck. These units utilize an all-electric drivetrain with a small, onboard motor generator set that can provide a portion of the electric demand. Th is combination offers operating ranges in excess of 250 to 300 miles before a full battery charge is required. There is a fine line between extended-range electric vehicles and series electric hybrids. If the onboard motor generator set is large enough to provide all the truck’s power demands, it crosses over to being a hybrid.
Most fleets have to maintain service during a conversion process. They also may have to figure out how to relocate vehicles on an emergency, short-term or permanent basis. (Shutterstock photo)
Natural gas has the lowest cost of all the alternative internal combustion engine fuels currently in use and generates the smallest carbon footprint. These advantages are off set in some drive/duty cycle applications by both high conversion and infrastructure costs. If a fleet has access to public natural gas fueling infrastructure, or if the quantity of fuel consumed at a given location is enough to justify the infrastructure investment required for a captive facility, natural gas has the potential to generate major energy cost savings.
Propane, also known as autogas, has the second-lowest carbon footprint of currently viable alternative fuels and is priced between natural gas and gasoline. It has the advantage of requiring the lowest infrastructure costs of any of the alternative fuels, other than electricity, if major infrastructure investments are not required. It also has a much higher energy density than CNG and is stored at a lower pressure so the tanks are lighter and cheaper. This makes it much easier to convert existing vehicles and more attractive for fleets with lower volumes per fueling facility.
Christopher Lyon is a former fleet manager and currently serves as director of fleet relations for NTEA – The Association for the Work Truck Industry.
Drive vs. Duty cycles
Most of the processes and technologies for reducing fleet energy costs are sensitive to drive and duty cycles. While these terms are often used interchangeably, they are actually separate measurements of how a fleet operates.
A drive cycle defines how vehicles operate based on factors such as:
• Average speed
• Amount of incidental idling time
• Power export time (PTO operation, etc.)
• Number of starts and stops per cycle
• Longest average continuous running time per cycle.
A duty cycle defines how much a vehicle is used and looks at factors such as:
• Length of average operating cycle
• Number of operating cycles per period
• Total miles driven per measurement period
• Percentage of loaded vs. empty operation
• Percentage of on-road vs. off-road operation
