In 2023, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) issued a report that set electric vehicle efficiency ratios for light-duty vehicles registered in the United States. This report established that electric vehicles (EVs) use energy more efficiently than gasoline vehicles, a primary attribute enabling other benefits such as improved torque and reduced operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions. For example, in the United States, the electric vehicle efficiency ratio was calculated as 4.4, meaning that the average EV travels 4.4 times farther on a given amount of energy than the average gasoline vehicle.
This efficiency transfers to larger public transit and freight vehicles, as well. Research from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) established an estimated energy efficiency ratio (EER) for battery electric trucks compared to diesel trucks that included 40-foot transit buses, Class 8 drayage trucks and parcel delivery trucks. The results show the vehicle energy efficiency ratio is about 3.5 at highway speeds and 5 to 7 times the efficiency of conventional diesel vehicles when operated at lower speed duty cycles where idling and coasting losses from conventional engines are highest. Recognizing the potential benefit that EVs can add to our transportation system, the federal government launched initiatives in harmony with the planning effort we are engaged in. Many also recognize Utah as a strategic Intermountain West location where electrified transportation projects can be successfully deployed. Many of these initiatives have been developed through the Electric Vehicle Working Group formed in 2022 by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation — a collaboration between the U.S. Departments of Energy and Transportation, with a charter to “make recommendations regarding the development, adoption, and integration of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty electric vehicles into the transportation and energy systems of the United States.”
Further engagement with additional federal agencies occurred on January 10, 2023, when the Departments of Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency released the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, a landmark strategy for cutting all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector by 2050. The blueprint builds on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, which together represent historic investments in the future of our nation that will transform how we move and live while we build the backbone of a safer and more sustainable transportation system.
More recently, on March 12, 2024, the Joint Office released the first National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy. In collaboration with the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other strategic partners, this plan identifies opportunities to implement nationwide infrastructure over the next 15 years that supports electrification of our nation’s freight. This ambitious strategy supports the federal government’s commitment to identifying viable pathways and implementation actions that promote at least 30% zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales by 2030, with a goal of 100% by 2040.
The Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy is guaranteed to impact Utah. Salt Lake City International Airport received Phase 1: 2024-2027 designation as an intermodal freight air-to-truck hub. Likewise, the Union Pacific Salt Lake City Intermodal Terminal within the Utah Inland Port received Phase 1: 2024-2027 designation as an intermodal freight-to-rail hub. Several sections of Utah interstate also received Phase 1: 2024-2027 designation as listed below.
Interstate 15 (I-15) between Box Elder and Juab counties
Interstate 80 (I-80) between Salt Lake and Tooele counties
Interstate 215 (I-215) in Davis and Salt Lake counties
These Phase 1 designations establish Salt Lake City, and the interstate corridors that intersect there, as a strategic hub in the intermountain west for embarking on a nationwide freight electrification plan.
In addition to electrifying our ground transportation from personal vehicles to transit and freight, advanced air mobility (AAM) is quickly becoming part of our mobility ecosystem. According to a report by WSP entitled “Getting Ready for Advanced Air Mobility”, AAM represents the next generation of aircraft innovation, bringing mobility options to communities for passenger, air cargo, and emergency services.
The Industry Advisory Board Electrified Aviation Team notes that electrically powered training aircraft are now being designed and built, and Utah has recently received its first one. Manufacturers are designing new electric aircraft and retrofitting current designs with electric powerplants. As battery technology improves and offers more flight time per charge, training for initial pilot certification will be possible without consuming fossil fuels.
The future includes new electric powerplants for existing aircraft types and new designs that have never been seen before. Multiple aircraft manufacturers have reached the flight testing phase for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft which will revolutionize the way people and cargo are transported around urban areas and beyond. ASPIRE’s planning effort is evaluating the best scenarios to integrate AAM in our urban and rural communities as part of broader metropolitan and regional mobility plans.
By strategically developing our own intelligent electrified transportation plan, Utah will be able to chart our own path forward, shaping the future of transportation and infrastructure in our state while leveraging federal funding to implement our Utah-specific solutions. Similarly, this will mean Utah reaps regionally focused benefits.
In 2023, Utah legislators recognized that there is work to be done in the state to create systems that will lead to better air quality, economic growth and workforce development opportunities, plus improvements to our power grid and infrastructure. With the national strategy targeting freight corridors for electrification and other zero-emission fuel alternatives, it is logical to start our electrification planning by exploring the benefits of electrification from this perspective.