Nov 16, 2017

Trucks are fueling the world's oil demand

Ben Geman

Tesla is hardly the only player in the nascent electric truck market — as Bloomberg notes — as big companies like Daimler and Cummins are moving toward commercialization.

Why electric trucks matter: Trucks, especially big rigs, are a small percentage of vehicles on the road but use lots of oil. (Check out the chart below, reconstructed from the International Energy Agency's new World Energy Outlook 2017.)

Expand chart

Data: IEA World Energy Outlook 2017, OECD/IEA; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon / Axios

In what amounts to IEA's base case (a model of existing and officially announced policies), oil demand for trucking swells to 20 million barrels per day in 2040, led by that sharp increase you see in diesel demand for heavy-duty freight.

  • It's one reason, though hardly the only one, why IEA does not forecast a peak in global crude oil demand through the end of their analysis period in 2040.

The bottom line: Widespread deployment of electric heavy-duty trucking — alongside other alternative fuels and stronger fuel efficiency mandates for diesel-powered rigs — could alter the trajectory of oil demand in coming decade if Musk and other players can make it cost-effective.

Go deeper: Check out a preview of Tesla's electric truck, which is scheduled to be unveiled today.

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Marisa Fernandez

GM to bring Hummer back as an electric vehicle

A discontinued Hummer pickup truck. GM has yet to debut revivied electric vehicle's new look. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

General Motors plans to reintroduce the Hummer to consumers as an electric pickup truck under the GMC brand, unnamed sources familiar with the matter tell the Wall Street Journal.

The big picture: The revival is a part of automakers' race to introduce more electric trucks and SUVs to the market. Tesla unveiled its version of an electric pickup dubbed the Cybertruck in November, expected to arrive by late 2021.

Go deeperArrowJan 10, 2020
Ben Geman

Electric vehicles are coming, but no one is sure how fast

Data: Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy; Chart: Axios Visuals

A new study helps to show that experts are all over the map when it comes to gaming out the rise of electric vehicles in the global marketplace.

Why it matters: The speed at which EVs become truly mainstream is one variable affecting the future of oil demand and carbon emissions. Passenger cars account for roughly a fourth of world oil demand.

Go deeperArrowDec 19, 2019 - Energy & Environment
Joann Muller

Electric school buses are batteries for the grid

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Utility companies are helping cash-strapped school districts replace diesel buses with electric ones that have a secondary purpose: helping to manage electricity demand.

Why it matters: Electric buses are cleaner, but cost about three times more. Using them for energy storage can help close that cost gap and smooth out energy demand on the electric grid.

Go deeperArrowJan 10, 2020