Commercial Vehicle Roundup for the New Year
First published on Comvoy.com/article
With emission regulations and commercial fleet mandates putting increasing pressure on business owners to move their vehicles and fleets into net-zero compliance, the landscape of commercial vehicles in North America is on the cusp of a dramatic shift.
Many concerns about recharging and advanced fuel refueling have been raised, but an even more immediate issue is the availability of trucks and vans that both comply with new standards and can fulfill the chores for which businesses buy them.
Business owners, fleet operators, and logistics planners will need to keep a keen eye on what’s coming down the pipeline for light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks. This list will not be 100% complete with new contenders on the way, but provides a good overview of the product offerings for sale in 2024 and links to additional information for further consideration, using the CA Vehicle Weight Classes and Categories and California’s Plan for Zero-Emission Vehicles as references.
Light-Duty Commercial Vehicles (Class 1-3)
Electric and Advanced Fuel Options in Light-Duty Commercial Vehicles
In the light-duty (up to 14,00 lb GVWR) commercial vehicle segment, electric and hybrid offerings are expected to continue their upward trajectory with established and startup OEMs adding several entries to the roster of light-duty commercial vehicles available in North America for the 2024 year.
Commercial Net-zero trucks include:
Chevrolet’selectrified Silverado
Ford’s all-electricFord F-150 Lightning
Rivian electric R1T pickup
Stellantis continuing to push for a Q4 2024 release of theRam 1500 REV pickup andProMaster EV van.
Via Motors is manufacturing class 2-5 electric cab chassis and bespoke trucks
Vicinity Motors class-3 truck.
Although the towing capacity of all the EV trucks is impressive, it is only the Via and Vicinity offerings that provide enough capacity to carry much in the way of cubic yards of equipment, material, or cargo.
Commercial Net-zero vans include:
Blue Arc electric class-3 step van
Ford’s E-Transit van.
RivianDelivery Series vans.
Lightning Motors ZEV3 van series
Mercedes-Benz eSprinter vans are now available in North America, as well as the BrightDrop Zevo walk-in delivery van.
Mullen One and Mullen Three all electric vans are available for 2024.
Propane, also known as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or propane autogas, is considered an alternative fuel under the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and remains a viable option, especially in rural markets, to retrofit many models of trucks and vans, or to upfit them to LPG when ordering.
Hydrogen, both fuel cell and as a fuel for diesel engines, continues to be a work-in-progress for North America.
Traditional I.C.E. Light-Duty Powertrains
The traditional gasoline and diesel sector is not standing still either. GM/Chevrolet continues to offer their HD series trucks and vans with up to five-digit towing capacity and nearly a thousand-foot pounds of torque. Ram is offering its own HD lineup of gasoline and diesel-powered light-duty trucks and vans. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van is also now available in North America.
Ford also continues to upgrade its Super-Duty line of work trucks. Although Toyota and Nissan continue to refine their efficient gasoline engines for their light-duty trucks, the new 2024 MotorTrend Truck of the Year® Colorado is also a great fleet pickup truck entry,
However, it is only the Ford, GM, and Ram triad that has class-3 vehicles for sale this year.
Medium-Duty Commercial Vehicles (Class 4-6)
Electric and Advanced Fuel Options in Medium-Duty Commercial Vehicles
For businesses requiring medium-duty trucks (above 14,000 to 26,000lb GVWR), the electric future appears bright as an encouraging number of manufacturers responded to looming emissions regulations. Adoption of net zero vehicles in the medium-duty class should be quicker than with heavy-duty use cases because they(?) are a better match for current EV technology.
BYD continues to roll out Class-6 all-electric box trucks and refuse trucks that promise to lower operational costs and reduce emissions.
International’s eMV Series is available in medium and heavy-duty configurations.
Other net-zero medium-duty vehicles that can be had this year include:
Battle Motors offers 2 models of BEV.
Blue Arc class-5 electric crew cab.
Freightliner eM2
Hino M5e and L6e
Isuzu NRR EV
Kenworth Class-6 K270E
Lightning Motors ZEV4 series vans and trucks
Mack MD6 Electric
Motive Stepvan and configurable Argo.
Via Motors class 2-5 electric cab chassis and bespoke trucks.
Vicinity Motors Lightning medium-duty bus.
Volvo FL Electric and FE Electric platforms.
Traditional I.C.E.Medium-Duty Powertrains
Despite the electrification buzz, traditional powertrains are not going away just yet. The Savana Van carries a GVWR of 14 200lb GVWR, allowing it a place in the class-4 category, while the GM HD Series (4500, 5500, 6500) carries the torch for the truck segment.
Other traditionally powered medium-duty vehicles that can be had this year include:
Battle Motors offers 3 models of diesel-powered medium-duty chassis.
Ford F650 (Propane conversion ready)
International’s CV Series of diesel-powered trucks are also serious contenders in this division.
Isuzu N Series
Kenworth T180/280 series
Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles (Class 7-8)
Electric and Advanced Fuel Options in Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles
In the world of heavy-duty commercial vehicles, electric and hydrogen options are making headway with Nikola Motors taking orders for both electric and hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks to be delivered in 2024.
In addition to their class-6 offerings, BYD is also producing class-8 all-electric buses and tandem axle cab models.
International’s eMV Series is available in medium and heavy-duty configurations.
Other net-zero heavy-duty vehicles that can be had this year include:
Battle Motors CNG-powered LET2, and 2 models of BEVs.
IC Bus CE Series electric bus.
Kenworth Class-7 K370E andT680E
Peterbilt 579EV, 520EV, and 220EV.
Thomas Built EV Bus
Vicinity Motors CNG-powered Classic heavy-duty bus.
Volvo FH Electric, FE Electric, and VNR Electric.
Traditional Heavy-Duty I.C.E. Powertrains
Volvo and Mack are spearheading advancements in fuel efficiency and emission reductions for their diesel-powered heavy-duty trucks, ensuring that diesel-powered vehicles won’t give up the heavy-duty crown easily.
Traditionally powered heavy-duty vehicles that can purchased this year include:
Battle Motors offers 3 models of diesel-powered heavy-duty chassis.
Ford F750 (Propane conversion ready)
Freightliner Cascadia
IC Bus TC Series bus
KenworthT, C, and W Series
Thomas Built Clean-diesel
Mack Anthem, Pinnacle, Terra Pro, and Granite Series
Vicinity Motors clean-diesel Classic heavy-duty bus.
Western Star X-Series
Conclusion
In summary, North America’s commercial vehicle landscape is experiencing a significant shift, and we’ll continue to witness ongoing development in both traditional and alternative powertrain options across light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicle segments. It is crucial for interested parties to stay abreast of these changes as it becomes more critical to reduce operational costs, address environmental policies, and create new strategies in fleet configurations.
