PITTSBURGH — Autonomous vehicle company Aurora Innovation has released a white paper indicating that autonomous trucking has the potential for significant environmental benefits.
The paper finds that autonomous trucking could increase energy efficiency by up to 32% relative to traditional trucking — helping the freight and logistics industry reduce emissions, meet environmental regulatory mandates and bring down operating costs, according to a news release.
Transportation is a Significant Source of Emissions
Transportation accounts for approximately 29% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and medium-and heavy-duty trucks account for 23%, according to the news release.
In some freight-heavy states, this number is even greater — transportation causes approximately 50% of greenhouse gas emissions in California.
Autonomous Trucking Technology Can Help Fight Climate Change
There is a need for new technologies that reduce freight transportation’s negative impact on climate change.
“As Aurora advances toward driverless commercial operations, the company has examined ways to maximize the environmental benefits of autonomous trucks,” the news release states.
The white paper identifies seven opportunities to use autonomous trucking to make freight transportation more energy efficient, including:
- Optimizing Highway Speeds — Autonomous trucks are not limited by hours-of-service restrictions, meaning there is less incentive to drive at high speeds to reach their destination faster. This enables lower-speed driving that consumes less fuel per mile. Aurora’s approach of driving 65 mph instead of 70-75 mph on the highway could reduce highway fuel consumption by 9%- 17%.
- Limiting Idling — Today’s trucks often consume fuel by idling when drivers take breaks to rest, eat, or relax between hauls. This represents 4% to 9% of fuel consumption. While autonomous trucks cannot wholly eliminate idling, they could better maximize driving time.
- Eco-Driving — Significant automotive energy usage comes from inefficient acceleration and braking. Autonomous trucks are capable of eco-driving, strategically optimizing acceleration, braking and coasting to increase energy efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. One study cited in the white paper found that increased strategic coasting could lead to 9.5% fuel savings.
- Traffic Reduction — Because autonomous trucks can operate nearly 24 hours per day, they can shift a more significant proportion of freight to off-peak driving hours. This would reduce autonomous trucks’ fuel consumption by decreasing time stuck in traffic, and moving a portion of truck traffic to off-peak hours would help reduce congestion and fuel consumption for other vehicles.
Additionally, the white paper explains how the introduction of autonomous trucks into the supply chain can be a longer-term catalyst for accelerated adoption of next-generation powertrains, such as battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell platforms, given the following:
- Faster Return on Investment — New powertrains will likely have higher upfront costs, and the lower operating costs and higher utilization of autonomous trucks could enable faster returns on those investments.
- Better Range Management — Because autonomous trucks are not restricted by hours-of-service limitations, they can better manage the range and charging/fueling limitations of next-generation platforms.
- Fixed Routes — The fixed route model of deploying autonomous trucks supports focused installation of charging/fueling infrastructure along these routes.
“As autonomous trucks make hauling freight safer, we have a responsibility to make logistics more sustainable as well,” said Garrett Bray, the white paper’s author. “Self-driving technology can fight climate change by increasing energy efficiency and reducing emissions in the supply chain,” shared Garrett Bray, the white paper’s author.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
