The Future of EVs is Here: ZEV Tour Clean Fleet Experience
By Robin Milshtein
It was a warm, sunny morning at the California Mobility Center in Sacramento for the ZEV Tour Clean Fleet Experience. I joined a diverse crowd, with over 700 attendees expected ranging from Fleets Owners and Operators, OEMs, Dealers, Policy Makers, and Elected Officials. I hit the ground running, on a mission to understand whether “fleet electrifiers” are including microgrids in their equation for fleet electrification.
ZEV Tour Clean Fleet Experience
After speaking with exhibitors and fellow attendees, what I learned was unsurprising. While most folks understand the benefits of microgrids for resilience and economic savings, the option to create a microgrid for fleet electrification projects is just one piece of a complicated puzzle that needs to be solved to make fleet electrification a reality. Challenges around building out the proper electrical infrastructure were top of mind, including long lead times for permitting with utilities and supply chain delays for high-voltage electrical equipment. The electric vehicles themselves appeared to be the easy part and the fun part! I took the opportunity to test out some of the vehicles, both as a passenger and a driver.
The Nikola Hydrogen-Electric Semi-Truck was impressive. With 550 miles of range, and the ability to fuel in just 20 minutes, this model is the frontrunner in Nikola sales compared to its Battery-Electric counterpart. For regional fleet operators looking to electrify, it has proved to be a compelling option.
From left: Rivian R1T, Nikola Hydrogen-Electric Semi-Truck, Tesla Cyber Truck
My favorite drive of the day was testing out the Rivian R1T for fleet operators. Rivian is targeting fleet operators that require superior traction control in rugged terrain. For example, utilities service remote customers, or vehicles for national and state park staff. The vehicles are available with three battery sizes, enabling fleet operators to select the mileage range and price point that matches their needs.
I walked away with a feeling of optimism for the technology and collaboration that I got to experience hands-on and in action. The team at New Sun Road looks forward to future events hosted at the California Mobility Center, where we aspire to showcase our microgrid controls and energy management platform for the electrification of transportation.