This report describes activities and observations gathered during a multi-year project to develop awareness of long-duration truck idling in Iowa and the Midwest. Near-term approaches to address long duration idling include a number of technologies that are generally classified as either mobile or stationary. Mobile technologies refer to truck mounted devices designed to offset use of the main engine to support necessary heating, ventilating, and air conditioning and other "hotel" loads. Stationary technologies provide some form of interface between the truck and the electric grid; because trucks frequently (but not always) park at truck stops, grid-based approaches are commonly referred to as truck stop electrification (TSE). Based on the insights that emerged from this study, we have determined that implementing a practical TSE demonstration in Iowa in the near future will be limited by several factors that are explained more thoroughly in the report. Iowa is currently meets all air quality standards relevant to truck idling, and ranks just below average (30th) in terms of projected truck parking demand. This implies that resources to advance stationary TSE facilities would more appropriately be targeted to other areas of the country with higher traffic and more urgent air quality concerns. Because it was determined that Iowa is a net supplier of truck services, it was recommended that Iowa's near term contribution to advancing idle reduction could more cost effectively be served by focusing on the adoption of mobile technologies by Iowa based trucks that operate primarily out of state, and, in particular, in non-attainment or other regulated areas. We therefore proposed to wait and see whether unsubsidized TSE concepts prove commercially successful in other states, whether they become less expensive, or whether more mobile alternatives (including hybrids) emerge to service idle reduction across broader geographic and functional contexts.
Abstract