At the MOVE America 2023 event in Austin today, logistics software startup Adiona Tech is releasing and discussing an electric vehicle (EV) report, called “Connected Thinking US,” in which it outlines where the country should prioritize its transport electrification efforts. The report warns of the “staggering” carbon emissions of America’s commercial vehicles, where large trucks make up only 1% of vehicles on U.S. roads but produce 18% of private/commercial vehicle emissions. It notes that electrifying just 5 combination trucks would eliminate as many emissions as 100 households purchasing an EV.
Richard Savoie, Adiona Tech CEO and Founder, says that the U.S. must prioritize commercial fleets and its least fuel-efficient vehicles over passenger cars—since only 0.4% of trucks registered in the U.S. last year were electric. If countries like the U.S. don’t drastically reduce their transport emissions now, global net zero goals will fail, we will not limit global warming to 1.5°C as per the Paris Climate Accord, and the consequences could be dire, he adds.
“America needs to aggressively decarbonize the biggest emitters on the road—large freight and delivery vehicles,” he said. “The U.S. automotive industry is at a crossroads, but it needs to act now to electrify every car on the road. Doing so requires connected thinking and collective action.”
He acknowledges that the national fleet of nearly 300 million vehicles cannot be transformed overnight, so decisions that make the biggest difference for the lowest effort should be prioritized first.
“Frankly, the data shows that consumer adoption of EVs should not be America’s number one priority,” he continued. “Electrifying fleets is by far the most efficient way to reduce vehicle emissions. Every battery we put in a combination truck counts for 20 households buying an EV, and businesses often have fleets of hundreds of vehicles. We must prioritize the electrification of these vehicles that are on the road most, travel the longest distances, and are the least fuel-efficient.”
The report notes that the surge in delivery vehicles in the U.S., which has created an 800,000 net increase in truck driving jobs since 2010, has also resulted in more traffic in urban areas. The top five U.S. cities for fuel wasted due to congestion are Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami. LA and NY waste 10x more fuel due to congestion than the best U.S. large city, San Diego. The congestion in LA and New York alone creates an extra 5,957,492 tons of CO2 emissions every year, which is more than 84 countries’ total CO2 emissions.
Backed by KPMG, PepsiCo, and Telstra, Adiona Tech is a Sydney, Australia-based logistics software startup that powers millions of efficient product deliveries for some of the world’s biggest brands. Its AI-powered delivery route planning and optimization engine applies machine learning to real traffic data to lower delivery costs, reduce vehicle emissions, and help businesses get to net zero faster. For delivery companies switching to EVs, its fleet simulator optimizes fleet purchases, deployments, and infrastructure plans.
