Oceangoing ships, most of which are powered by heavy fuel oil, produce substantial amounts of CO2 and nitrogen oxide emissions. However, shipping companies are unlikely to begin electrifying them until the economic case for doing so becomes clearer.
A new study from the University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory indicates that nearly half the world’s fleet of container ships could be cost-effectively electrified, using current technology.
“We describe a pathway for the battery electrification of containerships within this decade that electrifies over 40% of global containership traffic, reduces CO2 emissions by 14% for US-based vessels, and mitigates the health impacts of air pollution on coastal communities,” write study authors Jessica Kersey, Natalie D. Popovich and Amol A. Phadke.
For the new study, which was published in the journal Nature, the research team modeled a wide variety of container ship sizes, in the context of 13 major world trade routes.
“Past studies on ship electrification have relied on outdated assumptions on battery cost, energy density values and available on-board space,” write the researchers. “We show that at battery prices of $100 per kWh, the electrification of intraregional trade routes of less than 1,500 km is economical, with minimal impact to ship carrying capacity.”
The study found that electrified container ships have an economic advantage over legacy vessels, even when the environmental and health costs of fossil fuel-burning ships are excluded. According to the researchers, the environmental and health damage caused by ICE containerships amounts to at least three times the running costs. “Including the environmental costs increases the economical range [of electrified ships] to 5,000 km,” note the researchers. They estimated the environmental and health footprint of an electrified ship at around 1/12th that of an ICE ship.
Expected future advances in battery technology will greatly increase the number of routes that can be economically served by battery-electric ships. “If batteries achieve a $50 kWh price point, the economical range nearly doubles,” the researchers write. In a few years, as the costs of large ICE container ships continue to rise, as electrified alternatives become increasingly cost-effective, running on fossil fuel could become vastly more expensive.
As is the case with road vehicles, different nautical use cases might be best served by different battery chemistries. Vessels that serve short routes require less power, but need to recharge quickly, so an LFP chemistry, which offers fast charging rates and long lifetimes, might be the best choice. Long-range ships typically spend a long time in each port, and could benefit from the higher energy density of NMC batteries.
The size and weight of battery systems are not trivial considerations. A container ship serving a 5,000 km route would require approximately 6.5 GWh of battery capacity. For a ship with a 20,000 km range, the batteries and motor would require 32% of the ship’s carrying capacity, or 2,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
“The key technical constraint for battery-electric container shipping is the volume of the battery system and electric motor relative to the volume occupied by a vessel’s existing engines, fuel storage and mechanical space,” write the researchers. However, they found that “as carrying capacity increases, the percentage of total carrying capacity volume occupied by batteries decreases, because larger ships typically have lower energy requirements per unit of carrying capacity.”
A Neo-Panamax container ship serving a route of less than 3,000 km would actually require less space for batteries and motors than the volume currently occupied by combustion engines and fuel tanks.
As for the infrastructure required to charge such gargantuan batteries, the researchers predict that it will be affordable, due to dynamics of typical ports. Most berths are occupied more than 50% of the time, and at 50% utilization, the study’s model indicates that the levelized cost of a 300 MW charging station would be approximately $0.03 per kWh.
Magnax has closed a €20-million ($19.97 million) funding round. The company says it plans to use the funds “to accelerate product development, grow the engineering team and expand support for customers and partners.”
Magnax has patented a single-stator, dual-rotor axial-flux motor that directly cools the windings. According to the company, the motor “delivers the most effective and efficient motor topology known today.”
“With up to a 4x increase in volumetric torque density versus traditional radial flux electric motors, automotive and airframe developers can use the compact and thin ‘pancake’ shape of Magnax’s axial flux motors to their competitive advantage,” says the company.
Magnax has spun off the company Traxial to commercialize its axial flux motor for the ground EV market and the company Axyal for the electric aerospace market.
For heavy-duty truck manufacturer Kenworth, adoption of zero-emission trucks is seen as inevitable—the shift is being driven by both regulatory requirements and economic benefits. Speaking at a recent press event, Kenworth executives outlined the company’s electrification strategy, which includes investigating both battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell technologies.
As Fleet Owner reports, 17 US states and Canada have signed on to a memorandum of understanding that sets a goal for 30% of Class 7-8 tractors to be zero-emission vehicles by 2030, and for all commercial vehicles to be ZEVs by 2040.
“From a regulatory standpoint, all arrows are pointing toward zero emissions,” said Stephan Olsen, Kenworth’s General Sales Manager of Fleet and Specialty Markets. The company predicts that production of electric trucks in North America will grow exponentially in the coming years, from 40,000 unites 2028 to over 160,000 by 2040. “In the 2030s and 2040s, we’re in real volumes, tens of thousands,” Olsen said, “and this is where we will begin to see the economies of scale helping out with the costs, with the infrastructure development.”
Jamin Swazo, Director of Marketing Communications, said that EVs can offer fleets savings of as much as 50% in energy costs and 30% in maintenance costs.
“There’s no technology we know today that’s going to serve all those customers and meet their expectations for range, refueling or recharging time, and then the payload capacity as well,” said Stephan Olsen. “That’s why Kenworth is investing in both [battery-electric and fuel cell] technologies.”
Kenworth currently offers the Class 6 K270E and Class 7 K370E cab-over electric trucks, which are designed for local distribution and last-mile applications, as well as the Class 8 T680E, aimed at regional haul and drayage applications.
Kenworth’s T680 is a Class 8 tractor powered by twin Toyota hydrogen fuel cells. It has a 300-mile range and can refuel in 15 minutes. It has been piloted at the Port of Los Angeles, but is not yet available for order.
Kenworth parent company Paccar partners with Schneider Electric and EnTech Solutions for its charging infrastructure needs. Company execs noted that fleets are bringing their charging ‘behind the fence,’ in effect becoming energy providers and creating additional revenue streams.
As we roll along in the third quarter of 2022, GM’s long-promised EV lineup is beginning to materialize and gain some serious momentum. The American automaker now has several EVs on the market and has even more in its production pipeline. In recent media appearances, CEO Mary Barra has relayed confidence in GM’s autonomous technology and has reiterated the company’s goal to usurp Tesla as the leader in EV production. Can GM pull it off?
ChargePoint (CHPT), a leading EV charging provider, released its fiscal Q2 2023 earnings on Tuesday as industry expectations pick up on the heels of significant investments. The EV charging company beat forecasts as demand for electric vehicles and supporting infrastructure accelerates.
The enjoyment of driving the all-new 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid began with getting 45.4 mpg on combined highway and in-town driving through Southern California. This compact pickup is smaller than the mid- and full-size trucks roaming our streets, but size alone doesn’t explain how it sips fuel.
A smaller, but not small pickup
Unexpected Efficiency
Clean Fleet Report spent a week in the 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid XL, powered by a 2.5-Liter gasoline engine and a 94kW electric motor. The total system 191 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque drives the front wheels through an electronic continuously variable transmission (eCVT). An eCVT is not like a traditional CVT as it has no pulleys or belts. Instead, it has a simple planetary gear set and two electric motors. One is for driving power, while the other is to start the engine, charge the battery and provides the regenerative braking that converts kinetic energy into electric energy and stores it in the battery when applying the brakes or coasting.
An efficient engine and electric power
There are driver selectable drive modes of Eco, Normal, Sport, Tow/Haul and Slippery. We didn’t need the latter as things are pretty dry in SoCal these days, but the first three can be used strategically for efficiency and performance.
The EPA has rated the Maverick Hybrid’s fuel economy at 42 mpg city/33 highway and 37 combined. In 225 miles driving through Southern California we averaged 45.4 mpg with the best fuel economy on an all-city 45-mile run where the average was a stellar 46.7 mpg. This was achieved by the computer seamlessly switching between all-electric and hybrid operation in response to drive demands and conditions, which usually meant electric for in-town or in stop-and-go traffic and hybrid on the highway. Fuel economy numbers reported by Clean Fleet Report are non-scientific and represent the reviewer’s driving experience using the dash gauge computer. Your numbers may differ.
Hitting the Road
This may sound a bit odd, but you don’t start the Maverick Hybrid as much as power it up. Our XL trim level had an old-school key, while the higher trim level Maverick Lariat has a button. Turning the key does not turn on the engine, unless you are in extremely hot or cold weather and have the heater or A/C on. What you hear is nothing at all, requiring looking at the dash cluster gauge to know it is time to shift into a gear and take off.
In addition to the bed, the Maverick’s got other storage tricks
The Maverick Hybrid does not offer all-wheel drive, unlike is its stablemate, the Maverick with the EcoBoost gasoline engine. The cargo payload of 1,500 pounds is the same on all Mavericks, regardless of the engine, but the tow rating for the EcoBoost engine goes up to 4,000 pounds, while the Hybrid maxes out at 2,000 pounds.
The several sheets of plywood we loaded into the bed, weighing-in at 500 pounds, were easy to haul around. We tested the Tow/Haul drive mode, but at this weight didn’t notice much difference from driving in the Normal mode. The added weight did not have a negative effect on cornering and stopping, nor the acceleration of the peppy hybrid engine. The Maverick Hybrid or EcoBoost were not designed to be a heavy-duty work trucks, but more for the weekend warrior doing DYI projects or used for active lifestyles activities such as biking and kayaking. For these purposes it is a viable option to a larger truck or a compact crossover.
The Maverick hybrid, at 3,674 pounds, felt solid and stable on the highway, and handled well under moderate cornering that produced little body lean. No need to push things by asking the Maverick to do something it was not designed to do, but the 17-inch Continental Pro Contact tires performed well for their size, and handled stops confidently with the 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS. The electric-power steering was properly tuned to feel connected to the road, making for a fun drive that is more similar to a crossover than a truck. All of this resulted in minimal cabin noise.
Interior: Basic and a Bit Retro
Basic, but up-to-date
The 2022 Maverick Hybrid comes in three trim levels of XL, XLT and Lariat. Clean Fleet Report drove the Maverick XLT that came with power windows and door locks, floor liners, single zone manual climate control with a particulate air filter, two 12V and two USB ports with one each of Type A and C. The 8-inch touchscreen housed the Bluetooth, Apple Car Play, Android Auto and the AM/FM stereo with six speakers. FordPass Connect offers convenience features such as remote door lock and unlock, remote keyless entry and engine start. The 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot can accommodate multiple devices, as far as 50-feet away.
The seats in the Maverick XLT are covered in a durable and comfortable cloth, with the fronts manually adjustable. Our Maverick came with the optional XLT Luxury Package ($2,345) giving us heated front seats and 8-way power adjustments for the driver. The front cabin headroom can easily accommodate those over six feet tall. The center armrest has a soft vinyl surface and opens for storage, and there are storage nooks through the cabin, including on the dash next to the touchscreen, and in the center console tray and door pockets.
The rear is bit cozier, but the bench seat is perfectly fine for three adults on short in-town trips, or attaching two child seats and making the Maverick an everyday haul-around-the-kids-and-run-errands driver. There is rear under-seat storage, and a clever design on the front doors to accommodate a large drink bottle or cup.
Exterior: All Truck
Size-wise, the Maverick really isn’t all that small. It is about 11 inches shorter than the midsize Ford Ranger but one inch longer than the Ford Explorer. Once upon a time there was the Ford Courier (1972-2007) that was a true compact pickup. Don’t confuse or equate the all-new Maverick with that diminutive truck, as they have nothing in common except for the blue oval on the front grille.
Light and plug where it’s needed
The Maverick design is all Ford truck, without being menacing. The XL has smooth body side panels sans chrome with the black grille, bumpers and trim on the crew cab that all look great against the very cool retro steel wheels. The above-mentioned XLT Luxury Package includes 17-inch alloy wheels, a gray bar on the grille, full-size spare, heated exterior power mirrors, LED box lighting, trailer hitch with a 4-pin connector, bed tie-down locking rails, spray-in bedliner, manual rear sliding window, heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a 400W inverter.
Ford says the Maverick is “Built Ford Tough”; after pulling a trailer and hauling a bed full of lumber, the Maverick XLT Hybrid earned its tough stripes. The Flexbed has been designed for multi-purpose use, and may be one of the reasons you consider buying a Maverick.
The Maverick is its 68.7-inches tall (just over five-foot, seven inches), so at five-foot, nine inches I was able to look over the cab. This lack of bigness is what will make the Maverick so appealing, as it will fit in a garage, six footers can easily sit in the front seats, and a big plus is being able to reach over the cargo box sides and touch the bed floor. If you have ever needed to off-load or tie-down anything on a midsize or full-size pickup, you will appreciate the approximate 50-inch box height.
Ready for work or play
The box itself has some handy features, such as being able to position the tailgate flat or at an angle, 10 tie-downs, four D-link bed connectors, slots to drop-in a 2×4 to raise the floor above the wheel wells, an in-box storage compartment and LED lighting. On the base XL there is no power in the bed, but stepping-up to the XLT and Lariat means there will be the opportunity to power generators, lights and other equipment. There are built-in threaded holes to create your own cargo hauling system, or order any of Ford’s 45 cargo attachments that should cover all needs.
The Maverick has exterior color options of Alto Blue Metallic, Iconic Silver Metallic, Carbonized Grey Metallic, Shadow Black, Hot Pepper Red Metallic, Cyber Orange Tri-coat Metallic, Oxford White, Cactus Grey, Velocity Blue Metallic and Area 51, which was the color on our test vehicle.
Convenience and Safety
The 2022 Ford Maverick Clean Fleet Report tested had standard or optional convenience features of a tilt and telescoping steering column, electric parking brake, remote keyless entry and start, security keypad on the driver-side door, a tire pressure monitoring system, a theft deterrent system and a power locking tailgate.
Safety systems include wiper-activated LED headlamps, rear view camera, seven airbags (front, side, driver knee, and overhead) and Ford Co-Pilot360. This advanced driver assist system (ADAS) includes the pre-collision assist with emergency braking.
Pricing and Warranties
The 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid comes in these models. Prices include the mandatory $1,495 destination and delivery fee.
Subtle badging
XL $21,490
XLT $23,955
Lariat $27,355
The 2022 Maverick comes with these warranties:
Hybrid Components – Eight years/100,000 miles
Bumper-to-Bumper – Three years/36,000 miles
Powertrain – Five years/60,000 miles
Roadside Assistance – Five years/60,000 miles
Corrosion – Five years/Unlimited miles
Observations: 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid
The XL is a bargain proposition starting at $19,995, but even after adding the mandatory delivery fee of $1,495, the 2022 Maverick is still the most affordable and practical pickup on the market. If you need more power, all-wheel drive and additional towing capability, checkout the the Maverick EcoBoost.
Covering a wider range of truck users now
Since this is the first truck many people buy, they will not be disappointed with what Ford has delivered. If more conveniences and a bit fancier truck is your style, then take a look at the XLT and Lariat models. The Maverick handles smooth and has ample acceleration with either engine option. The entry level Maverick XL comes standard with a high efficiency hybrid engine, but if you want more towing power and all-wheel drive, then opting for the gasoline EcoBoost engine should handle your on and off-road needs.
The 2022 Ford Maverick can easily slot into the role currently held by a crossover or SUV. It can be a light-duty delivery vehicle, used by ranchers or farmers needing an inexpensive runabout, outdoor enthusiasts and households wanting a versatile DIY project vehicle. Do you have a teen headed off to college? Consider handing them the keys to a Maverick XL.
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Story by John Faulkner. Photos by John Faulkner and Ford.
Clean Fleet Reportis loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.
Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.
First Solar, the largest American solar panel maker, today announced that it will invest up to $1.2 billion to ramp up production of US-made solar panels. The announcement follows the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act two weeks ago, which incentivizes domestic clean energy manufacturing.
Sitting at the bus stop, breathing toxic exhaust fumes may be a thing of the past soon as electric school buses roll out in several districts around the US. But the pace is not moving as quickly as it should be as many decision-makers are failing to grasp the benefits for students, the school, and the environment.
Susan Wojcicki became the CEO of YouTube in 2014 but held talks about a job as Tesla’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Elon Musk’s second-in-command before that.
