Breakeven Analysis Considering Ultra-Fast Charging Stations at Mills for Battery-Electric Log Trucks

Abstract

Range is a primary issue regarding the adoption of battery-electric vehicles. In-shift charging offers an alternative to extending range without the need for a heavier, more expensive battery. This paper recognizes that daily log truck productivity is a result of a small number of discrete events (loads delivered to a demand point). Delays such as in-shift charging become very important if they result in a lost load. If n is the number of loads a truck can deliver in a day without delays from in-shift charging, then the expected number of loads a truck can deliver with in-shift charging delays is n-1 + prob, where prob is the probability of completing the last load. The choice between a larger battery capable of a full day's operation and a smaller battery that requires in-shift charging is formulated as a breakeven problem. Solving for the value of prob where the net revenue earned by the larger battery truck is equal to the net revenue earned by the smaller battery truck provides a battery size decision-point. Conducting a sensitivity analysis, the three factors that had the greatest impact on battery size selection were the hauling rate ($/tonne), the difference in net load, and the difference in depreciation cost between the large and small battery trucks.