Lorries are the heartbeat of most industries. They deliver everything people need to live well-rounded lives, but they also depend on fossil fuels that harm the environment. Learning about the new technologies reducing semi-truck emissions will reveal how transportation experts are making their sector greener. The next time you see a semi-truck, it might be among the many models prioritising the planet.
1. Hydrogen Fuel Cells Power Engines
Imagine a lorry silently pulling up beside your vehicle. Hydrogen models produce electricity by turning the element’s gas into power. They may also become more common after a successful trial period. Hydrogen trucks will deliver goods around Scotland soon during a short test period. If successful, other parts of the UK may allow the trucks on major roadways. These lorries wouldn’t need fossil fuels to reach their destinations, resulting in a carbon-neutral shipping option that would shrink the UK’s planetary impact.
2. Fully Electric Batteries Charge Faster
Trucks running on electric batteries have been on roadways for years, but some logistics teams haven’t switched. The charging infrastructure throughout the UK served primarily residential vehicles until recently. Fast-charging upgrades are happening throughout the UK, allowing for more vehicles to get back on the road faster.
If there’s more space to charge commercial vehicles like lorries, you could see more shipping companies using electric trucks for daily routes. They only need places to refuel their batteries, much like the truck-specific pumps at petrol stations.
3. Diesel Hybrids Produce Less CO2
You may also see more semi-trucks that look the same while emitting less gas. More companies are investing in diesel hybrid lorries like urban delivery trucks. They rely on smaller amounts of fossil fuels and use them more effectively by balancing the diesel with an electric motor. The engines are crucial as the EU works toward its 55% greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal by 2030. They require minimal internal company infrastructure change and help the planet.
4. AI Is Optimising Truck Usage
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a bigger part of the shipping industry. People working with lorries can use AI-powered software to run predictive maintenance analytics and diagnose potential issues with each truck before they return to their routes. In-truck tech can also route data to cloud servers so teams in multiple locations always know where their drivers are, if they need help and how their trucks perform.
Route optimisation is another benefit of using AI. Logistics teams with AI platforms can find the fastest delivery routes with the least traffic. Trucks will burn fewer fossil fuels long-term if they aren’t sitting idle while running during every trip.
5. Vegetable Oil Can Power Trucks
Biofuels may become a more frequently used semi-truck fuel due to the widespread presence of vegetable oil. The liquid becomes hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) when combined with hydrogen. Biofuel can power a lorry’s engine even if it originally ran on fossil fuels. If it has enough hydrogen, a semi-truck can run on biofuel for the same distances as before. This simple fuel switch makes any shipping company more eco-friendly.
Lorries Have a Green Future
People are making the shipping industry more eco-friendly with advancing technologies. You may see fully electric lorries on the road soon, or work for a company that ships goods with biofuel. Even AI reduces how each semi-truck impacts the plant. The multi-perspective approach makes UK shipping greener than ever.
