Here are this week’s special guests and energy experts on The Crude Life Week In Review Episode 485.
Levi Perkins, Perkins Electric Innovations, and Kenley Nebeker, TrainND Northwest, give an update on the EVolution Hybrid project. Perkins explains how weight becomes a major hurdle in trucking, fuel logistics and EV batteries.
In Part One, the two gave an overview of project EVolution Hybrid, which is integrating an electric battery into a traditional combustion engine while maintaining the classic trucking look. With maybe a hint of flare or contemporary fashions.
“One of the things we looked at with the EVolution Hybrid is the future of the transportation and trucking industry,” Kenley Nebeker, executive director, TrainND Northwest said. “We are really trying to find a way to expose our students and the community to the potential that lies within the electric truck, or in this case a hybrid truck. I’ve never been a believer in all-one-way or another.”
Nebeker is referring to an all EV solution or an all fossil fuel solution. Nebeker believes this project will shine a light on how a “marriage” between the two concepts will ultimately become a viable solution to an energy transition.
“One important part of this project is the look,” Nebeker said. “I like that traditional Americana semi truck look and understand that still connects with the public too.”
One of the ways the electric combustion collaboration can occur is weight. According to Perkins, the weight of fuel, the batteries and cargo are factors when determining your bottom line in business.
“Most Class A trucks vary as there are different models from the manufacturers, but there’s a lot that is similar” Perkins said. “The less a truck can weigh, the more freight you can haul and essentially, generate higher revenues because of it.”
For fleets, this could have significant savings. Perkins dives into the details of sleeper cabs, drop steer axles and other accessories when discussing the weight and revenues in trucking. All these additional details matter when discussing electric batteries and transition.
“Most electric trucks are going to be in the 400-600 kilowatt hour range. Tesla just released a 1000 kilowatt hour battery,” Perkins said. “But interestingly enough in the past three years the battery technology has allowed us to have reductions in weight but still, it is over 10,000 pounds in battery weight.”
The interview also discussed the difference between fuel weight and battery weight. Which would save money in the long haul? Host Jason Spiess cited an example of an interview with Keri Frank, CEO, Comply365, and her integration of iPads in aviation.
“Before iPads, the industry had a 50-plus-pound black metal box that contained procedure papers required by law,” Spiess said. “After Keri Frank got the industry to transition those papers to an iPad, not only did they see an immediate impact by not printing new sheets every time a new code was issued. But the real savings they saw was over a year in fuel savings. The weight over time was nickels turning into dollars.”
Both Nebeker and Perkins agreed with the sustainable savings and how trucking companies will see similar results.
Another area of change or transition EVoltion Hybrid will see is jobs. Nebeker is anticipating changes with mechanics, IT and other areas of trucking and transportation, and is in constant contact with the supply chain and supporting cast.
Here are some supporting interviews for EVoltion Hybrid and the community of Williston, ND.
Williston’s Wenko Says Economic Development Getting More Diverse
Williston Mayor Talks About The Bakken’s Continued Community Growth
Bakken Small Businesses Staying Busy
Bakken Boom Created An Astounding Educational Opportunity For Williston State Students
The project is scheduled to take 9-12 months, depending on the supply chain, according to Nebeker.
Canada’s Greatest Export Terry Etam gives an update from North of the Border on their energy policies, trade flow with the US and Germany trying to buy coal from Canada. Terry Etam is the author of The End of Fossil Fuel Insanity: Clearing the Air Before Cleaning the Air; columnist for the BOE Report and writer for Public Energy Number One
Canada’s Greatest Export shares a story about the country of Germany coming over to Canada to accelerate their divestment from fossil fuels and direct their attention towards hydrogen.
Etam, who also works with a Natural Gas Company, said they weathered the regulatory storm the past couple of years, and are back to a comfortable pace for business. He also elaborated on several of the Canadian Regulations that are hindering oil and gas development.
Jason Spiess and Shawn Forbes are joined by Yale Preston, NESET and iaintjack productions
Yale talks about working for NESET and what a few of his side hustles are. iaintjack productions is the first other business bantered about. From the Science of Awe to the humanity of oil and gas, the three discuss a variety of ways industry enhances our outdoors lifestyles.
The three dive deeper into the humanity of oil and gas into the world of water. The Crude Life’s June Theme is Oil and Water Do Mix and Preston cites numerous examples of how petroleum products allowed him to experience the singing of humpback whales underwater in Hawaii.
Another side business Preston and his wife are involved with is hydroponics and growing mushrooms. Jason chimes in with his Hippie Capitalist ways and shares information on his vertical garden that grows 36 plants.
Odessa (TX) Javier Joven joins Jason Spiess to talk about Odessa’s investment into their water, roads and infrastructure. The Mayor also presents Jason Spiess with a “Jason Spiess Bobble Head” in appreciation for all his positive work for the energy industry.
The mayor attended at special ceremony for DistributionNOW, who had a Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Celebration at their new facility in Odessa, Texas. The event was well attended with local community members, professional colleagues and special guest dignitaries like Mayor Hoven and also the neighboring city Midland (TX) Mayor Patrick Payton.
“You see the creativity of how you have to survive,” Mayor Joven said. “This regional DistributionNOW warehouse will be the nerve center for the entire Permian basin into New Mexico to resupply the satellite service companies from valves to fittings and other equipment from the oilfield.”
DistributionNOW operates primarily under the DistributionNOW and DNOW brands. Through its network of approximately 195 locations and 2,600 employees worldwide, NOW Inc. offers a comprehensive line of products and solutions for the upstream, midstream and downstream energy and industrial sectors. Its locations provide products and solutions to exploration and production companies, energy transportation companies, refineries, chemical companies, utilities, manufacturers and engineering and construction companies.
Mayor Hoven was very excited about the commitment from DNOW, as well as their innovative remodeling capabilities.
“Basically DNOW has retooled the Halliburton facilities back into a regional distribution center,” Joven said. “You know the old industry is retooling itself since we’ve had the downtown and the nature of issues like inflation.”
Not only are investments coming to the Permian Basin domestically, but according to Mayor Joven, there are international interests and investments as well.
“We’ve been contacted by a couple groups based in Mexico who represent a dozen companies each, so 24 or more companies are looking at Odessa right now for international expansion,” Mayor Joven said. “So we do have professional businesses who want to come in and build multi-family apartments downtown. We also have another group interested too. We will be having more announcements coming over the next two weeks.”
Mayor Joven expanded his international context a bit by layering in the current administration’s recent actions and desires towards American Independence and Domestic Energy.
“If we could get this administration to stop battling with what we are dealing with. The thing is we have a 4M-a-barrel-a-day gap for the reasons that are happening in the Ukraine and Russia,” Joven said. “Now we are going down to Venezuela, this administration is now trying to deal with Iran, OPEC won’t deal with them. It’s just insanity.”
Host Jason Spiess brings up an interview with Dickinson (ND) Mayor Dennis Johnson back in 2014 when their city was growing at a rate beyond double their highest growth year in history.
“I will never forget Dickinson Mayor Dennis Johnson coming on The Crude Life and just shattering everyone’s $100 oil dreams by stating not one more shovel will enter the ground until a new water treatment plant is constructed,” Spiess recalled. “Mayor Johnson hammered home the maximum usage of basic city services like water, sewer and roads.”
Mayor Joven understood those challenges more than most can appreciate living in the literal desert.
“Right now we’ve already put in financing for two major water and sewer projects running north and south on the east side of Odessa” Mayor Joven said. “One we were able to bring in $15M under budget. So there’s money in place and infrastructure investments without putting increasing the burden on the tax payers.”
Mayor Joven continued with other investments and innovations happening in the epicenter of the Permian Basin.
“We’ve even found environmentally friendly ways to clean the water (in the Permian),” Mayor Joven said. “Right now, we are even finding new ways to recycle water into drinking water. This is the creativity we have out here in West Texas.”
Plus there are more diverse investments into communications and industry coming too.
“We are now in the discussion phase of finalizing over a $100M capital investment into the city of Odessa where we will run fiber throughout the entire city limit,” Mayor Joven said. “The thing is that is will not cost us, they are actually paying us one-dollar a connection on a monthly basis, so the potential there are in the thousands monthly and billions over the life of it.”
Interviews are sponsored in part by TrainND Northwest – It’s a competitive world. Train for it.
Music heard on The Crude Life Week in Review is written and performed by Alma Cook of Cook Compliance Solutions. Support her music career at www.hearalma.com
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Award winning interviewer and broadcast journalist Jason Spiess and Content Correspondents engage with the industry’s best thinkers, writers, politicians, business leaders, scientists, entertainers, community leaders, cafe owners and other newsmakers in one-on-one interviews and round table discussions.
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