Energetics Leads Development of Four 21CTP Roadmaps
The 21st Century Truck Partnership (21CTP) has published four technology roadmaps, one for each of its technical teams. Energetics took a lead role in the development and coordination of these roadmaps, working closely with 21CTP membership throughout the process.
21CTP is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office; other government agencies; and industrial partners across the commercial truck value chain. The collaboration's mission is to address the needs of medium- and heavy-duty truck fleets as they move toward sustainable, ultra-efficient, and low-emission vehicles. Medium- and heavy-duty trucks emitted 456.6 million metric tons of CO2 in 2019, or about 25% of total CO2 emissions from the U.S. transportation sector, the largest source of CO2 emission in the United States. However, these trucks are the backbone of the U.S. economy, so their transition to next-generation technologies must happen with a holistic understanding of the challenges and benefits, aiming for maximum efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness with minimum environmental impact.
21CTP has divided its efforts into four technical sectors, each of which is supported by a technical team. Energetics assigned a transportation expert to each team to coordinate development of a roadmap that will help the team strategize research and development for that sector:
- Electrification Technical Sector Team – William Batten
- Freight Operational Efficiency Technical Sector Team – Melissa Laffen
- Internal Combustion Engine Technical Sector Team – Samuel McLaughlin
- Safety Technical Sector Team – William Schaefer
Mike Lloyd, a program manager with Energetics’ Sustainable Transportation and Resilience division, facilitated the four technical sector meetings.
Each roadmap describes current technology status, outlines recommended goals and targets, identifies major barriers to attaining those goals, and suggests approaches to overcoming those barriers. These roadmaps will guide future research at national labs, universities, and industry regarding the advancement of technology within the transportation industry, specifically medium-and heavy-duty vehicles. The roadmaps were developed through a cross-sector consensus-based process, ensuring the strategies outlined are robust and credible.
All four sector roadmaps are available at https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/21st-century-truck-partnership.