Background

The electrification of heavy vehicles in companies represents a huge paradigm shift and requires a major awareness and information effort.

The heavy truck industry is challenged to deliver “Just-in-Time” and cannot afford delays caused by lack of range or charging time.

The charging infrastructure required to power trucks with large battery packs is also a challenge that managers will have to understand and overcome.

Currently, the first barrier to penetration is the additional cost. The second is the lack of knowledge and data on real savings in operation and maintenance.

GHG reduction targets are not on track and means must be implemented to help the industry make a shift towards the energy transition of heavy transportation.

Between 1990 and 2018, the transportation sector in Quebec accounted for 43.3% of Quebec’s GHG emissions. At a more specific level, namely road transportation, the increase in GHG emissions was 49.6%. If we look at the heavy vehicle category alone, the increase in GHGs was 170.8%.

While Quebec wants to reduce its GHGs by 37.5% below 1990 levels by 2030 and aims to ban the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, the energy transition is a must for everyone, especially companies operating heavy vehicle fleets.

The project aims to promote and accelerate the penetration of electric heavy trucks in a context of extreme climatic conditions by accompanying fleet operators who are involved in the transportation of goods. It also aims to facilitate changes in behavior and practices related to the radical change that electrification represents through workshops, demonstrations, data analysis and training.