Charging a Truck: Understanding Third-Occasion Infrastructure Fashions – Fleet Ahead
Voltera’s Jonathan Colbert stands amongst the corporate’s high-capacity chargers at its Lynwood, California facility.
EV charging infrastructure just isn’t one measurement matches all, significantly for truck fleet operators.
When incorporating EVs, truck and trucking fleets face a wider preliminary value hole between conventional gasoline or diesel vans and electrical vans. Electrical vans additionally require larger on-site energy, requiring a extra expensive and elaborate charging infrastructure buildout.
However the pressures to affect are acute, significantly in California. As of Jan. 13, 2025, the California Air Sources Board (CARB) rescinded its EPA waiver software to implement its Superior Clear Fleet (ACT) rule, which had referred to as for many industrial car sorts (together with drayage fleets) in California to transition to ZEVs, with all acquisitions ZEV by 2036. drayage fleets so as to add solely zero-emission autos (ZEVs) as of 2024.
Nevertheless, CARB’s Superior Clear Vehicles (ACT) regulation, which requires producers of medium- and heavy-duty autos to promote an rising proportion of zero-emission autos (ZEVs) in California, continues to be in impact.
Based on Matt Schrap, CEO of the Harbor Trucking Affiliation, 75% of professional quality drayage fleets must cost utilizing third-party websites due to funding challenges, building delays, and landlords’ pushback to interrupt concrete on their land.
In consequence, quite a few charging infrastructure corporations have come on-line. They assist fleets with compliance with out forcing them to sink hundreds of thousands into an on-site depot.
With funding from authorities packages, federal grants, company funding, personal fairness, and enterprise capital funds, these infrastructure corporations have damaged floor on quite a few websites within the final 4 years, principally in California, with scores extra coming on-line in 2025.
Their charging websites characteristic Wi-Fi, meals and beverage companies, and relaxation areas for drivers. Additionally they connect with software program for fleet managers and drivers to make charging reservations, monitor charging exercise, and handle charging schedules.
However past the facilities, service fashions differ. They’re usually divided into two sorts:
- Infrastructure-as-a-Service (or Charging-as-a-Service): Supplies entry to third-party depot charging. Inside every, there are nuances of accessible companies in bundled fee plans.
- Truck-as-a-Service (or Fleet-as-a-Service): Contains the truck and entry to charging infrastructure in a bundled fee.
Right here’s a snapshot of corporations and the companies they provide in California and past:
Voltera: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) for Devoted Fleets
The mannequin for Palo Alto-based Voltera, a developer, proprietor, and operator of charging infrastructure, is to develop websites together with fleets’ wants after which give them entry to charging and different companies.
VP of Advertising and marketing Jonathan Colbert described Voltera’s mannequin as Infrastructure-as-a-Service. “We personal the land, develop it, and convey all of the infrastructure to bear, permitting fleets to give attention to their operations,” he mentioned in an on-site interview with Automotive Fleet.
“We’re not fleet as a service, as a result of we don’t present autos.”
In March 2024, Voltera opened a web site in Lynwood, California, to serve drayage fleets accessing the Ports of Los Angeles and Lengthy Seashore. The location has 65 stalls that accommodate electrical Class 8 vans, charging as much as 200 autos a day. The 7.7-megawatt station has the capability to develop to 11 megawatts.
The location was initially developed to serve the wants of Swedish transport firm Einride, which focuses on sustainable freight transportation. Einride routes electrical vans out of the Ports of LA and Lengthy Seashore for Maersk, the Danish transport big.
Voltera has just lately opened availability on the positioning to different fleets, highlighting one other facet of their enterprise mannequin that they name “co-location.” Just like the enterprise of an condo constructing, fleets lease a number of stalls and share entry to facilities on-site. “We’re not a public charging community,” Colbert mentioned. “We’re constructing devoted hubs for our fleet clients closest to the ports to serve the drayage use case.”
Along with Lynwood, Voltera has a web site underneath improvement in Wilmington, which additionally serves the Port of Lengthy Seashore, and one other close to the Port of West Sacramento. Some 17 websites are in varied phases of improvement in Texas, Arizona, Florida, and Georgia. Many of those websites will come on-line within the first half of 2025.
“The portfolio as we speak is on a two to three-year timeline (bringing websites on-line alongside the best way),” Colbert mentioned. “We’ll proceed to maintain shopping for websites as we’re creating.”
Voltera’s deliberate charging websites will initially serve drayage fleets with an Infrastructure-as-a-Service mannequin.
Greenlane: Infrastructure-as-a-Service for Freight Corridors
Shaped in 2022, Greenlane additionally employs an Infrastructure-as-a-Service mannequin to cost medium- and heavy-duty electrical vans however provides publicly accessible, pay-as-you-go chargers.
Not like Voltera’s focus on ports, Greenlane locations websites alongside main freight corridors, such because the 280-mile stretch on Interstate 15 between Lengthy Seashore and Las Vegas, to service port autos and long-haul operations. The corporate plans to have websites on-line alongside the I-15 in Colton, Barstow, and Baker, California, with the Colton web site anticipated to be full by Q1 2025.
Greenlane has finished predictive modeling to find out the variety of chargers mandatory to satisfy regional demand within the 1-15 hall.
“Our findings indicated that putting the three stations roughly 60 to 90 miles aside would maximize uptime for day-cab drivers by enabling shorter charging classes at every cease and finally permitting clients to maneuver freight confidently with none limitations,” mentioned Patrick Macdonald-King, CEO of Greenlane, in a press assertion.
WattEV: Truck-as-a-Service (Taas) & Public Charging
Lengthy Seashore-based WattEV provides a TaaS mannequin, offering fleets entry to Class 8 electrical vans together with upkeep help, insurance coverage, and charging throughout the whole community.
WattEV’s preliminary freight hall buildout will likely be alongside Interstate 5 from Southern California by Seattle, Washington.
The aim of the TaaS mannequin is to reduce capital funding by offering entry to electrical vans at a per-mile or per-route charge practically on par with diesel, which incorporates the autos and prices round charging infrastructure, set up, and upkeep.
WattEV additionally provides charger entry to fleets that deliver their electrical vans.
In July 2023, WattEV opened an electrical charging depot for medium and heavy-duty vans on the Port of Lengthy Seashore. With 5 megawatts of energy, the positioning’s 13 dual-cord quick chargers can cost 26 vans concurrently.
In Might 2024, WattEV opened its fourth web site in Bakersfield, California, with a solar-powered microgrid and battery vitality storage system.
Like Greenlane, WattEV plans to construct networks alongside freight corridors. Its first targets are places alongside Interstate 5 from Southern California by Seattle, Washington.
Discussion board Mobility: Truck-as-a Service & Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS)
In Might, San Francisco-based Discussion board Mobility broke floor on a charging depot on the Port of Lengthy Seashore. Now operational, the 9-megawatt web site has 44 charging stalls and might accommodate 200 electrical drayage vans every day for a number of fleet operators.
Discussion board Mobility provides a versatile service mannequin during which operators can deliver their autos to cost, in addition to a truck leasing possibility bundled with charging companies.
“If bundling a truck with charging— similar to you get a cellular phone bundled along with your cellular phone plan — is simple for you, nice,” mentioned Matt LeDucq, CEO of Discussion board Mobility, throughout an interview with Automotive Fleet on the web site’s groundbreaking ceremony in Might 2024. “You may select what works.”
The corporate is opening new websites in Compton, Inland Empire, Oakland, and Stockon to serve drayage routes.
Discussion board Mobility executives, fleet executives, and native politicians break floor of the Discussion board Mobility Charging station on the Port of Lengthy Seashore, California in Might 2024.
Zeem Options: Transportation-as-a-Service & Charging-as-a-Service
One of many “grandfathers” of truck charging, Zeem Options opened its first EV charging depots close to Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) in 2021. The adjoining depots have 10 megawatts of whole energy for 78 DC fast-charging ports, 53 Stage 2 chargers, and the capability to cost and retailer greater than 200 medium- and heavy-duty autos on-site.
Concentrating on transportation hubs, ports, airports, and distribution facilities, Zeem is at the moment creating depots within the ports at Lengthy Seashore, Newark, N.J., and Savannah, Georgia. The Lengthy Seashore venture will characteristic 84 DC quick charger ports with a 15-megawatt capability that may serve 500 vans a day.
Zeem Options’ CEO Paul Gioupis calls the mannequin Transportation-as-a-Service or E-Fleet-as-a-Service.
Fleets can lease electrical vans, park and cost day or night time at Zeem’s depots, and obtain routine upkeep, inspections, and cleansing companies for a month-to-month price. Drivers are additionally provided safe parking for personal autos and a lounge.
Zeem additionally gives CaaS for fleets that require entry to charging infrastructure with out car leasing, resembling rideshare, last-mile supply, and automotive rental operations.
James T. Butts, the mayor of Inglewood, California, cuts the ribbon through the opening of Zeem Options’ LAX depot. Zeem CEO and cofounder Paul Gioupis stands to the suitable of Butts.
Energy: The New Gold Rush
The ability calls for of Stage 2 depot or house charging are trifling in comparison with the wants of bigger truck fleets, which require sufficient juice to energy a skyscraper or a small city. How a lot energy may be delivered to a web site depends upon substation capability, grid upgrades, utility approval processes, environmental permits, and lead time for gear resembling switchgear.
Current charging corporations have first-mover benefits: Whereas Voltera’s Lynwood web site was up and operating in 18 months, and WattEV’s Bakersfield depot took solely 16 months, new gamers — whether or not public or behind the fence — might face for much longer timelines.
“Some fleets in Los Angeles are ready as much as 5 years for the mandatory energy upgrades,” mentioned Michelle Brown of Pioneer eMobility throughout a seminar on charging on the 2024 Fleet Ahead Convention (FFC).
“It’s like a gold rush proper now, to attempt to get into the queue as quick as potential,” mentioned Voltera’s Colbert. “No two utilities function in the identical manner. It’s actually difficult to deliver that (energy) on-line.”
This raises the chance for these corporations to arbitrage vitality to newcomers. “We will likely be coming into a part the place these with a considerable quantity of energy may have a beautiful asset,” mentioned LeDucq of Discussion board Mobility.
Voltera expects the Lynwood web site will be capable of present energy for public charging community suppliers.
Momentary Charging & Grid Resiliency
Throughout elongated timelines, short-term charging infrastructure can bridge the hole.
Pioneer eMobility’s natural-gas-powered “microgrids on a skid” may be deployed till grid energy may be established, or it could stay on-site as a resiliency towards outages.
Photo voltaic is one other off-grid possibility. WattEV’s Bakersfield depot includes a solar-powered microgrid with a battery vitality storage system. Zeem is planning on photo voltaic for its LAX depot. Out of the positioning’s 10 megawatts of accessible grid energy, an array of photo voltaic canopies may present half to three-quarters of a megawatt of juice to cost autos.
“Momentary charging merchandise can typically develop into everlasting options because the market matures,” mentioned Zeem’s Gioupis through the FFC seminar.
Megawatt Speedy Charging — a Recreation Changer?
In some purposes, resembling outlined sales-and-service routes and last-mile deliveries utilizing electrical industrial vans and smaller medium-duty vans, electrification makes monetary sense.
However with current battery expertise, the present crop of electrical Class 8 vans should cost about each 200 miles to function inside a ten% to 80% battery capability band. That makes drayage’s shorter obligation cycle the least disruptive from an operational standpoint.
As battery expertise develops incrementally, Megawatt Speedy Charging (MCS) might help. MCS can deliver vans’ dwell instances down from hours to lower than half-hour for a full cost.
The WattEV web site in Bakersfield provides MCS charging with three 1,200kW fast chargers that draw energy from the positioning’s photo voltaic array. When operational, Greenlane’s Colton station will accommodate MCS.
Allen Nielsen of Greenlane mentioned through the FFC seminar that the corporate plans to combine extra MCS by 2027 or 2028, although he famous that present expertise nonetheless limits fast, high-capacity charging.
Even with MCS, stopping each 200 miles throughout long-haul cycles doesn’t make sense.
“Over time, we’d like an enormous shift in expertise to accommodate the longer routes,” Colbert instructed AF. “We’re going to get nearer and nearer. It’ll go from drayage to middle-mile, and then you definately’ll begin seeing extra of the long-haul use circumstances. That’ll be a five- to 10-year timeline to make sense.”
Energy Wants Rising Exponentially
Energy wants are solely rising. Based on the California Vitality Fee, California will want about 157,000 chargers for medium and heavy-duty electrical vans to adjust to CARB’s Superior Clear Fleets mandate by 2030.
But whereas the fleet and transportation industries require large energy, they’ve stiff competitors from the info farms coming on-line to serve e-commerce, social media, AI, and cryptocurrencies.
“Individuals suppose we (infrastructure corporations) are going to take lots off the grid,” mentioned LeDucq. “We’re only a ‘flea on the facet’ in comparison with what Meta is constructing.”
