Heavy-duty electrified trucks are starting to roll like quiet thunder on U.S. highways and byways, and the truckers behind the wheel can count on less stress and fatigue when compared with the noise and vibration of traditional combustion engine big rigs. More to the point, the rising tide of interest in fleet electrification is banked on the financial benefits companies expect to accrue, including lower fuel and maintenance costs.
During 2019 there were just over 2,000 electric U.S. trucks, but that figure is expected to increase to more than 54,000 by 2025, according to a forecast by Wood Mackenzie, a commodities research firm.
That prediction got off to a flying start when Republic Services, the big trash collection company, inked an agreement to buy 2,500 electric collection vehicles from Nikola Corp., the Phoenix-based manufacturer of electric vehicles, with an option to boost that order to 5,000 trucks. Media reports have described the deal as the biggest ever tr
