Truckpark of the Future

The European Union's ambition to achieve a climate-neutral economy by 2050 is transforming the haulage industry before our eyes. The production of diesel-based trucks will be banned by 2040, and fleets are already looking for alternative power sources. New-age refuelling and charging will gradually change the industry, and the need for secure parking ad fast-charging stations will be vital.

But this is only the start. Technology is already accelerating rapidly, and truck parks of the future will be very different to what we know today. As we approach 2049 - a year before the climate-neutral target - how much will truck parks have evolved, and how will advances in future fuels and alternative propulsion, automation and multi-functional spaces benefit the haulage industry?

Deliveries will be in demand more than ever, but trucks will be smarter, more efficient, and running on renewable energy. Drivers will still have a crucial role but will need maintenance skills to keep automated vehicles on the road. Discover how the humble truck park will help the logistics and haulage industry progress into an exciting future.

INSIDE THE TRUCK PARK OF THE FUTURE

THE VEHICLES

Self-driving trucks and semi-autonomous vehicles

HGV tech will continue to evolve in the years leading up to 2049 - uniting self-driving technology with road safety and business convenience. In the next 120 years, there is a 50% chance that machines can take over all human jobs, and with self-driving vehicles set to be on UK motorways by 2021, it is safe to say autonomous trucks will already be playing a big role in 2049.

Automated lane-keeping systems will help to pave the way for higher levels of autonomy in the haulage sector. By 2049, trucks could operate 24 hours a day and drive a consistent mileage rate, making trucks safer and more fuel-efficient. Experts predict that automated driving systems could prevent 47,000 serious accidents and save 3,900 lives over a decade through their ability to reduce the largest cause of road accidents - human error.

"We are looking forward to seeing emerging self-driving technologies transforming haulage vehicles, making them safer, more efficient and profitable for businesses," says Mark Garner, Managing Director, SNAP.

Complete autonomy is dependent on technical and regulatory challenges. The hurdles may be overcome by 2049, but self-driving trucks are still likely to include drivers in the cab as a safety measure.

POWER OPTIONS

Hydrogen fuel

Industry leaders are looking at hydrogen as a leading option to create cleaner and more sustainable road transport. Hydrogen fuel provides two options:

A fuel cell that uses hydrogen to generate electricity to power an electric motor
Hydrogen as a fuel for combustion engines.

In both cases, adopting green hydrogen can reduce CO2 emissions by 100%. Vehicles using hydrogen as a fuel source will only emit water vapour - replacing gas emissions and negating environmental damage.

Volvo and Daimler bet on the hydrogen truck boom in the early 2020s. According to the heads of the two biggest truck makers, hydrogen-powered trucks capable of driving lon distances will reach a tipping point towards the end of the decade, an essential step as both groups set 2040 as a target for 100% zero emissions.

"Future fuels are one of the answers to replacing unsustainable gas fuels, and we imagine Truck Park 2049 will offer hydrogen as one of the fuel options, as the investment is realistic, feasible and environmentally friendly. Converting the existing gas fuel infrastructure will be transformed to fit the need of hydrogen," says Emma Westwood, Commercial Manager, SNAP.

Electric vehicles

The sale of new cars and vans powered by petrol and diesel will be banned in the UK by 2030. Other European countries are introducing the ban in 2025. So, by 2049, electric vehicles will be ubiquitous globally, but what does this mean for the haulage industry?

Fleet operators will notice immediate financial benefits and reap the rewards of efficient vehicle management. Electric HGVs won't need fuel and will have fewer components to maintain. The driver role may develop to include basic mechanic training to keep electric vehicles running smoothly.

Plus, electric batteries will advance by 2049 to allow trucks to travel further distances without recharging. Truck stops will modernise to accommodate electric vehicles. Truck Park 2049 will include ultra-rapid electric charging stations - replacing obsolete petrol pumps. 350kW charging technology will enable HGVs to travel up to 100 miles from a five-minute charge - and payment will be via contactless solutions.

"Electric cars are already demonstrating their benefits on roads around the world, and it won't be long before we start to see electrically powered HGVs becoming common in the industry. As charging technology develops, electricity will play a big part in the future of haulage", says Mark Garner.

Battery tech

The impending power revolution will be in full swing by 2049. Battery technology could be the keystone of the energy transition, facilitating the decarbonisation of the transport sector and providing a critical backstop for intermittent solar and wind energy in power generation. But the widely used lithium-ion battery may not be up to the task of carrying the future of the global economy.

Developing and manufacturing solid-state batteries on a large scale is one of the biggest challenges for the battery industry. The ambition is to create solid-state batteries to suit electric vehicles. Engineers plan to substantially surpass the performance, safety, and processing limitations of lithium-ion batteries.

In contrast to research into lithium-ion, which provides incremental gains in performance toward theoretical limits, research into solid-state batteries is long-term and high-risk but has the potential to be high-reward. The main advantages of solid-state batteries include improved safety, higher energy density, faster charging times and longer life.

The limits of future batteries are endless, and there is an array of exciting concepts besides lithium-ion and solid-state batteries. For example, IBM's battery is sourced from seawater and outperforms lithium-ion. The IBM technology is suitable for electric vehicles too, and they are working with Mercedes-Bens to develop the idea into a viable commercial battery.

"By 2049, the battery revolution will remodel truck stops into quick resting places to charge electric lorries, enabling vehicles to travel far greater distances from a single battery charge," says Nick Long, European Network Manager, SNAP.

THE PEOPLE

Driving regulations/safety laws

The EU mobility package legislation focuses on driving, rest time rules, and tachographs.

Under the current rest time rules, drivers cannot spend weekly rest periods inside their vehicles under any circumstances. Weekly rest allows drivers to return home or to their company location regularly.

But 2049 could present new regulations. Autonomous vehicles will open the door for autopilot features, and drivers might be able to rest and recharge during a working journey - remodelling current rules.

"The inevitable influx of autonomy and self-driving trucks will mean a re-evaluation of rest rules and legislation. The rate of technological advancement will mean that regulations will have to adapt to keep up with the pace of the industry," says Mark Garner.

Driver skills and training

The truck driving job of 2049 is likely to look very different to the position of 2021, and the redeveloped role will need a new set of skills. Self-driving vehicles and autonomy could reduce licencing requirements and generate appeal to a broader audience - potentially even closing the long-standing gender gap. It's not yet clear what the industry transformation will look like, but driver skills and training will inevitably be different.

The Center for Automotive Research conducted studies that found that drivers who resume manual operation of a vehicle after a period of automated driving perform poorer than drivers who continuously operate the vehicle manually. The research predicts that prolonged use of automation may cause a loss of driving skills.

A study by the University of Nottingham and the RAC Foundation suggests that behavioural training is paramount to transition drivers into the next stage of automated vehicles.

The study found that drivers who received behavioural training were more measured in their behaviour and better understood the vehicle's capabilities and limitations. One key finding in the behavioural training group was that drivers were significantly more likely to notice a potential hazard during the transition from automated to manual driving.

"We know that the trucker of 2049 may be very different to the driver of today, but we still expect them to be an essential part of the industry. The skills that drivers will need to have in the armoury will change to reflect the new responsibilities, but training will be crucial to upholding haulage standards," says Mark Garner.

THE TECH

Contactless payments

The 2021 consumer uses daily contactless transactions, and it has grown into the payment of choice, with a study confirming that 79% of respondents use contactless payments worldwide. 46% moved contactless cards to the top of their wallet, 82% view contactless as the cleaner way to pay, and 74% state they will continue to use contactless payments post-pandemic.

More than half of consumers are concerned about handling notes and coins - meaning 60% plan on using online and contactless payments instead of physical currency. Moving forward, almost a third are open to retiring notes and coins from use.

Trends will include:

Taps replacing swipes, and phones replacing wallets.
Facial ID and biometrics remove the need for physical payments.
Voice assistance enabling in-car payment options.

Advantages of contactless payments include faster payments, lower checkout times, and reduced lines. Safe and secure for customers, less friction during the purchase process, and a high standard of fraud protection from issuers.

As contactless payment opportunities continue to grow, Truck Park 2049 will adopt in-truck payment options via voice assistance. But inventive contactless progression could create a new ball game for future generations. Trucks could be scanned on entry, automatically sending a bill to the fleets account. As cash becomes a distant memory, we will start to see a surge in facial ID and biometrics technology for transactions.

"We have already seen the importance of cashless payments through our SNAP Account service. Making payments digital is safer - particularly during Covid-19, and it helps streamline bookkeeping for all parties. We are very excited to see what the future holds for contactless truck parking payments," says Emma Westwood.

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Smart parking

New-age HGVs will need parking facilities that match their specific needs. Smart parking will reinvent the truck parking experience, and SNAP will provide future-proofed parking options worldwide by 2049.

Current parking facilities do not have the infrastructure to meet the demand for electric vehicles, and meeting the needs of self-driven cars and trucks has not been discussed. With over a million electric vehicles sold in 2019 and approximately 200,000 more with self-driving features, the time to reimagine how car parks are designed is now.

The parking facility of 2049 will be more than space between yellow lines. It will be about creating value in parking - value-adding services, space management, flexible facilities, payments and pricing, different ways to design flexible parking structures. It will be about building capabilities for today and tomorrow.

"We want to harness smart parking technology and introduce it to our network of locations throughout Europe over the next decade. We then want to reach a benchmark parking standard by 2049, which is embraced by truck parking sites worldwide and promoted by SNAP," says Nick Long.

Digital transformation - supply chain

The challenge for companies in the future will be to make their supply chains more resilient without weakening or sacrificing their competitiveness and ultimately minimising chain disruption.

The best ways to do so include:

Uncovering and addressing the hidden risks
Identify vulnerabilities
Diversify supply base
Hold intermediate inventory or safety stock
Take advantage of process innovations like automation or additive manufacturing
Revisit the trade-off between product variety and capacity flexibility

Harvard Business Review believes that it is time to adopt a new vision, which is suitable to the realities of the new era. One that still leverages the capabilities that reside around the world but improves resilience and reduces the risks from future disruptions.

This resilience-improving process is vital to the haulage industry to ensure its continued success. SNAP hopes to provide its services worldwide by 2049 as chain disruption becomes less likely due to improvements made in the 2020s.

CONCLUSION

Innovations and technological advancements are already providing the building blocks for Truck Park 2049. The combination of vehicle evolution, future fuels, and battery technology will revolutionise the haulage sector, creating a safer, cost-efficient, and sustainable future for the industry.

Redefining the driver role in 2049 will not mean trucker extinction. Drivers will still be a key component of the integral haulage machine, and regulations, laws and training will facilitate their reimagined role.

The modern truck parking experience will cater for a new-age industry. Contactless payment options will become seamless, and trucks will be able to recharge, wash, refuel, and remain secure in the sanctuary of their parking space?

SNAP is the market-leading smart payment provider for the UK haulage industry. Pioneering industry automation and digital breakthroughs are in our DNA, and by 2049, we aim to adopt these emerging technologies into our SNAP Account service globally.