Medium-Duty Plug-in Electric 

Delivery Truck Fleet Evaluation

Robert Prohaska, Adam Ragatz, Mike Simpson, 

Kenneth Kelly

2016 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo

Dearborn, Michigan

June 29, 2016

NREL/PR-5400-66755
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US Department of Energy National Labs
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National Renewable Energy Lab - Golden, CO

• NREL is the only lab solely dedicated to energy efficiency 

and renewable energy.

• NREL’s campus is designed as a living laboratory with 

multiple LEED Platinum buildings onsite.

Photos: Dennis Schroeder / NREL
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Illustration by NREL

Advanced Energy Storage

Development, Testing, Analysis

Thermal Characterization/Management

Life/Abuse Testing/Modeling

Computer-Aided Engineering

Electrode Material Development

Advanced Power Electronics 

and Electric Motors

Thermal Management

Thermal Stress and Reliability

Infrastructure

Vehicle-to-Grid Integration

Integration with Renewables

Charging Equipment & Controls

Fueling Stations & Equipment

Roadway Electrification

Automation

Vehicle and Fleet Testing

MD/HD Dynamometer Testing

MDV & HDV Testing/Analysis

Drive Cycle Analysis/Field Evaluations

Technology Performance Comparisons

Data Collection, Storage, & Analysis

Analysis & Optimization Tools 

Regulatory Support

EPAct Compliance 

Data & Policy Analysis

Technical Integration

Fleet Assistance

Advanced Combustion/Fuels

Advanced Petroleum and Biofuels

Combustion/Emissions Measurements

Vehicle & Engine Testing

Vehicle Thermal Management

Integrated Thermal Management

Climate Control/Idle Reduction

Advanced HVAC

Vehicle Deployment/Clean Cities

Guidance & Information for Fleet Decision 

Makers & Policy Makers

Technical Assistance

Online Data, Tools, Analysis

Vehicle Systems Modeling 

and Simulation

Connected and Automated 

Vehicles

Vehicle Systems Analysis

NREL Transportation RD&D Activities & Applications
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Collect 

Lab and 

Field Data

Capture, 

Store and 

Analyze

Laboratory 

Testing

Explore & 

Optimize

Communicate 

& Inform

Identify 

Barriers, 

New R&D 

Opportunities

, Validate 

Efforts

NREL Field Data, Testing, and Analysis Tools

Partnership with Fleets and Technology Providers = Relevant Results & Optimized 

Solutions for Real World Applications

Data from field evaluations 

helps populate FleetDNA

database

DOE fleet tools (DRIVE, FASTSim, 

AFleet, etc.) used to analyze and 

investigate impacts – data used to 

validate and improve tools

Published information and data used by 

fleets, industry, DOE and other research 

programs, and other agencies

Photos: Dennis Schroeder / NREL
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• 269 Electric Delivery Trucks

• 208 CNG trucks

• Member of the National Clean Fleet Partnership 

(NCFP) since 2011

o The NCFP provides fleets with resources, expertise, 

and support to incorporate alternative fuels and fuelsaving measures into their operations.

Frito-Lay North America

http://www.fritolay.com/purpose/fleet-sustainability
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Smith Newton Electric Delivery Vehicle

• Smith Newton Specifications

o Class 6 vehicles

o 80-kWh LiFePO4 battery

o Motor power: 150 kW (peak) | 80 kW (continuous) 

o Top Speed: 80 kph (50 mph)

o Charging standard: J1772

• Project Objective: Evaluate and compare real world, 

in-use performance of Smith Electric delivery vehicles 

to conventional diesels.

Photo: Robert Prohaska / NREL
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Data Collection

• Electric Vehicles

o Data collected via onboard telematics as part of 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant 

funding requirements

• Diesel Vehicles

o Data loggers with GPS installed to collect SAE 

J1708/OBD CAN messages

Photos: Adam Ragatz / NREL
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• Facility located 

Northeast of Tacoma, 

WA

• Sample route traces 

show EVs (red) and 

diesels (blue) cover the 

same region

• Drivers service 

customer accounts by 

filling orders and 

stocking store shelves 

Operating Location
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• Warehouse and 

distribution center

• Services Tacoma, WA 

area

• Onsite charging with 

10 chargers

Federal Way, WA Frito-Lay Facility

Photo: NREL 29589

Source: Google Earth
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Parameter Electric Vehicles Diesel Vehicles

Average Daily Distance 52.3 [km] 61.52 [km]

Average Speed 34.6 [km/hr] 40.5 [km/hr]

Driving Kinematics
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Driving Kinematics

Parameter Electric Vehicles Diesel Vehicles

Average Kinetic Intensity 0.44 [1/km] 0.34 [1/km]

Average Speed 34.6 [km/hr] 40.5 [km/hr]

HHDDT: Heavy Heavy-Duty Diesel Truck
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Daily Averages Diesels σ EVs σ

Average Driving Time (hours) 1.51 0.31 1.54 0.45

Average Total Distance (km) 61.52 20.54 52.31 16.74

Average Speed (km/h) 40.52 11.01 34.57 6.80

Average Fuel Consumed (L) 18.82 5.98 N/A N/A

Average Energy Consumed (kWh) 187.24(a) N/A 45.66 13.12

Energy Consumed per km (kWh/km) 3.07(a) 0.25 0.87 0.12

Average Fuel Economy (km/Lde) 3.24 0.25 10.24(b) 1.21

Avg. Fuel Consumption (Lde/100 km) 30.84 2.54 9.77(b) 1.39

Average Number of Stops /day 44.25 13.74 43.28 14.47

Average Number of Stops/km 0.72 0.67 0.83 0.86

Average Kinetic Intensity (1 / km) 0.34 0.23 0.44 0.14

a 9.9477 kWh/L of diesel fuel [37.656 kWh / gallon of diesel fuel]

b Assumes 90% charger/inverter net efficiency 

Drive Cycle Statistics

• EVs and diesels are operated very similarly EVs are driven 

slightly less distance on average

• EVs demonstrated over 3 times the average fuel economy 
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• EVs consume less than 1/3 the equivalenta amount of 

energy as the diesels

Fuel and Energy Consumption

a 9.9477 kWh/L of diesel fuel [37.656 kWh / gallon of diesel fuel]
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• Energy consumption 

(and savings) directly 

proportional to distance 

traveled

Daily Energy Consumption

• Opportunity for 

additional savings by 

deploying EVs to longer 

routes

80-kWh battery
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EV Cost Savings – Energy Only

• Cost savings based on energy efficiency only using Federal 

Way, WA average electricity cost of $0.102/kWh.
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• EVs demonstrated over 3x improvement of diesel 

equivalent fuel economy over conventional diesels in 

Frito-Lay’s Federal Way, WA fleet

• Overall energy consumption is highly dependent on 

drive cycle dynamics, operation, and environment

• Peak demand charging and infrastructure 

requirements are a key aspect to a successful 

deployment

Summary

Project Partners:

For more information:

http://www.nrel.gov/transportation/fleettest_electric_frito.html

• Frito Lay N.A. 

• Smith Electric Vehicles

• Chateau Energy Solutions

• U.S. Department of Energy
Thank You

Robert Prohaska

Robert.Prohaska@NREL.gov

http://www.nrel.gov/transportation/fleettest.html
Appendix
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https://truck-vip.ny.gov/NYSEV-VIF-vehicle-list.php

http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/documents/10180/316900/Change_Requests_082114.pdf/31d5a4c7-a419-4c97-8a0e-7e7547fe5e18 

Smith EV Newton Vehicle Cost

Smith Newton 80 kWh Conventional Incremental NY Voucher

$151,442 $64,651 $86,791 $60,000 
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EVSE Charging Example

1: Plug in at end of shift | 2: Unplug to load truck 

3: Plug in after loading | 4: 100% SOC, Charging stopped
Thank You

Robert Prohaska

Robert.Prohaska@NREL.gov

http://www.nrel.gov/transportation/fleettest.html