Electric Truck Charging Stations – WattEV Long Beach, CA
Investors and developers have begun focusing on developing new California electric truck charging stations in and near seaports as the deadline for the state’s transition into zero-emission medium and heavy-duty trucks looms. Other states are quickly deploying electric truck charging stations to meet the future demand for electric semi-trucks, include medium duty and last mile delivery vehicles.
The seaports create opportunities to solve logistical problems related to charger production, as the state’s lofty goal to phase out all heavy-duty diesel trucks by 2035 has many locals concerned that they won’t meet the target.
California’s Energy Commission (CEC) estimates that California will require 157,000 medium and heavy-duty chargers by 2030 to support a range of trucks, Reuters reports.
This goal would require California to build around 300 chargers weekly, a rate that the state’s Trucking Association CEO, Eric Sauer, described as: “Just too soon, too fast,” according to TT news.
The CEC has already pledged $1.7 billion to build these 157,000 chargers but only has around 1,000 chargers currently in use.
Construction time is a significant hurdle for electric truck charging station developers, with predictions for the wait period ranging from 18 months to seven years.
Utility upgrades and connections for electric trucks can take between two and five years for major projects, and power companies can experience parts shortages with components like Switchgear, a vital infrastructure component of DC Fast Charging.
The chief engineer for electric vehicle charging and grid integration at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Andrew Meintz, urged those interested in chargers to launch a wide-scale plan now, noting the infrastructure: “Takes awhile to build but is then around for a really long time,” Wired reports.
Electric truck charging station developers also struggle to file paperwork for local authorities since charging isn’t often the primary use for properties, and zoning codes for chargers as the primary use broadly aren’t available at a municipal level, according to TT News.
Additional concerns in California for building 157,000 chargers relate to land ownership, economics, and natural resources.
Truck fleet companies typically lease instead of own properties, forcing the financial burden of charger development onto the land’s owner.
Other companies remain hesitant to invest more in building electric truck charging stations since there aren’t enough vehicles to accommodate them.
Energy company National Grid’s report separately reflects how much power is necessary to expand electric truck charging infrastructure, noting that a quarter of the 71 high-capacity charging stations across New York and Massachusetts will need over 5 megawatts of charging capacity—enough to power a professional sports stadium, Wired reports.
However, these challenges haven’t stopped companies like real estate firm CBRE Group Group, warehouse giant Prologis Inc, and investment manager BlackRock Inc from putting money in truck charging infrastructure to seek a future pay-out when these zero emission vehicles are more accessible, Reuters reports.
Areas in or near ports like the Port of Long Beach have become a scorching prospective ground for these investors since all of California’s drayage trucks [ocean freight transport vehicles] need to be zero-emission by 2035—one of the first segments with the state’s requirements, TT News reports.
Drayage truck round trips are typically shorter and more predictable, allowing companies developing charging infrastructure to power vehicles overnight in company yards instead of fast highway chargers, which require more energy and infrastructure.
TeraWatt Infrastructure, a San Francisco-based organization specializing in manufacturing charging facilities, is slated to build seven charging centers between Long Beach and El Paso, Texas.
Terawatt’s charging centers between Long Beach and El Paso will be ready in early 2024, with no exact dates yet revealed, TT news reports.
Forum Mobility offers Zero Emission Trucks and Electric Truck Charging for one monthly price. They offer overnight and day-time charging depots near the ports and along major drayage routes. With cost competitive purchasing and leasing solutions for new electric heavy-duty trucks. And access to a network of convenient, safe and secure locations that free up space at your facility.
Voltera Power, an electric vehicle charging infrastructure partner based in Virginia, is planning a charging facility near The Port of Long Beach.
Long Beach, California-based WattEV already has a Port of Long Beach facility that can charge 26 trucks and plans to open more locations in the coming years, including the Bakersfield CA location.
WattEV also announced on July 31 that it had secured $40.5 million in grants to bring a network of electric truck stops into Northern California and Oregon, with around $34 million allocated for what the company said will be the nation’s largest electric charging depot.
This massive facility will be located near Sacramento International Airport, with 118 stations available for powering trucks, proving that ports aren’t the only investment game in town for charging station developers.
Current Trucking, a Truck-as-Service and a truck charging station developer has been focused on the eastern seaboard but has plans to expand to the west coast.
Zeem Solutions, the first mover in this space, is offering fleet customers Truck-as-a Service and a charging depot location in Los Angeles and soon to open locations in Port of Long Beach, Port of Newark and Port of Savannah.
According to a press release, Daimler Truck North America, LLC (DTNA), NextEra Energy Resources, LLC and BlackRock Alternatives, through a fund managed by its Climate Infrastructure business (BlackRock), today announced Greenlane™, the name of their joint venture to design, develop, install and operate a U.S. nationwide, high-performance zero-emission public charging and hydrogen fueling network for medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. They also unveiled renderings of the site layout as a major milestone in the development of the project.
The U.S. Government is aiming to slash bus, truck, and van pollution by over 50 percent by 2045—and heavy-duty trucks account for almost 10 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to Wired.
(CARB) provides $83 million in incentives for smaller fleets wishing to buy, lease or take advantage of Truck-as-a-Service of Classes 2b-8 electric trucks.
CARB will also reveal proposed changes to its Low Carbon Fuel Standard that will likely incorporate incentives for charging infrastructure in fall 2023, TT news reports.
