A few months ago, I visited Vantage Vehicles in Corona, California, to look at the company's new line of electric light utility vehicles. Lately, Ford has also announced that an all-electric version of its Transit Connect will be on sale in a few years, in conjuction with UK-based Smith Electric Vehicles.
In an effort to reduce air pollution in and around the Harbor area, the Port of Los Angeles is purchasing several trucks from Balqon Corp. and essentially banning older diesel trucks from the port.
Like it or not, government regulation is going to play an increasingly larger role in commercial fleets, public and private. While this new technology is often more expensive up-front, the companies claim that over the long run, the cost of maintenance and operation of these vehicles is less than their fossil-fueled counterparts.
While it may be many years until we see nearly silent, electric-powered tractor-trailers traversing the interstates from coast-to-coast, many medium and heavy-truck operators have already introduced, or offer for sale hybrid models of their most popular trucks.
While there will be some that will be nostalgic for the diesel clatter of the old-school trucks, it seems the newer-tech hybrids and electrics are moving into town. Even many of those diesels are now running on biodiesel, or a biodiesel blend.
Progress and change can often be awkward and disruptive, but considering that the commercial vehicle sector is a significant part of the U.S.'s overall energy equation, increasing efficiency by whatever means possible is a positive step in the right direction. What do you think? Is this simply the result of a bunch of "meddlign Socialists" or long-overdue progress?