CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE PLANS AND REALITIES

The NACFE says, "Charging infrastructure [is] one of the biggest unknowns and sources of anxiety for fleets considering adopting battery electric vehicles in the near term." So how does that affect the planning for fleet operations with your company? As you look at ways to meet the state and national regulations quickly barreling down on you, some questions may be popping up in your mind. We'll work to address many of those as we look at charging infrastructure plans and realities.

Does the US Have a Commercial Truck and Van Charging Infrastructure?

There's currently one charging station for commercial work trucks in Portland, Oregon, called Electric Island. The only one in the United States. So, the short answer is, "not yet."

A primary reason they're not popping up across the United States has less to do with space and more to do with the massive electrical needs of a battery-electric 18-wheeler.  

A Tesla will pull up to a DC fast-charging station and pull power at 150 kW and up to 250 kW. Compare that to a Peterbilt or Freightliner EV that needs 1 megawatt - four times the Tesla's max power need. And if you go to any diesel truck stop, you'll see ten or more trucks refueling at the same time. So, one-megawatt times ten EV Class 8 vehicles quickly becomes a problem for power and time. 

John Colett, product manager for emerging technologies at PGE, told GreenCar Reports, "So, that's the kind of scale we're looking at. When something that used to show up on our grid as a few hundred kilowatts, a truck stop says, 'Hey, we're gonna be installing two-megawatt chargers,' now that truck stop looks like a semiconductor plant."

The truth is that we don't have the infrastructure to support commercial-grade electric trucking. And, as a result, the US government is predicting that battery-electric sales will increase to only 54,000 trucks by 2025. Maybe it's because there's no place to charge them. Or is there? Let's check with some of the major players.

Where are current commercial truck and van charging stations? 

• ChargePoint - ChargePoint says they'll provide fleet managers with cloud-based software and hardware to optimize and plan without the need for business infrastructure upgrades. But ChargePoint will only tell you where chargers are and won't be building out megawatt chargers.
• Detroit eFill - The Detroit ePowertrain in Freightliner's eCascadia was in mind when the Detroit eFill chargers were built. However, they'll also provide power for other OEM vehicles. Locations will have power rated up to 400kW. Detroit eFill currently has no charger locations posted.
• Electrify America - Electrify America's website currently says they have CCS and CHAdeMO (fast charging) chargers. "CCS and CHAdeMO chargers differ in the speeds at which they can charge. CCS on Electrify America's network can charge at speeds up to 350kW, while our CHAdeMO chargers can charge at up to 50kW. Electrify America stations have CCS chargers with varying speeds, ranging from 50kW up to 350kW.
• EVgo - EVgo was the first company to break ground and build a supercharger station in 2016. Although EVgo has over 800+ charging stations, none have megawatt chargers.
• Electric Island, Portland, Oregon - In April (2021), Daimler and Portland General Electric opened Electric Island's eight commercial truck and van charging ports. Although not megawatt chargers, the site is currently a testbed with 350w superchargers that, when two are used, can charge up a semi. But it takes a while. So Electric Island is set up to replace the current chargers with megawatt chargers whenever they become available.

Should I wait until there's infrastructure for commercial trucks and vans? 

If you're looking at short-range trucks that will come back to your company at the end of every day, you won't require DC-fast charging. However, if your plan includes multiple battery-electric trucks, you'll need a deep discussion with your electric provider. A fleet of electric trucks might pull down an entire neighborhood or substation.

Neighborhood and industrial park substations are built to serve a few square miles or more depending on the population density. If a fleet of battery-electric trucks is added to the grid, their 1 megawatt per truck power draw could quickly trigger a blackout if major substation upgrades aren't performed.

At the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Brennan Borlaug recently said, "About 80 to 90 percent of substations they studied from real-world-delivery fleets areas could accommodate up to 100 trucks without requiring upgrades.

Following California's lead, many states require that most heavy-duty trucks sold by 2035 be zero-emission trucks. So, the truth is that you have time to plan on a purchase. And depending on your state, the local utility companies are working on mapping out needed infrastructure improvements.

For example, Southern California Edison, Portland General Electric, and other utilities around the nation are testing Class 8 and smaller vehicles to determine how they can use them effectively and the needed infrastructure to support them.

As slow as the trucking industry has historically embraced change, the infrastructure may catch up with the availability.  So, the reality is that you’ll need to have commercial grade chargers installed at your location.

Considering a Charging System at Your Business?

If you're considering bringing on some new battery-electric delivery or Class 8 replacements, you should first consider how much your vehicle will need for a day's work. This planning is like any fuel usage budgeting, and you're just using a different type of fuel. This data will be called a 'Load Profile," Rich Mohr, global vice president fleet at ChargePoint, says that businesses need to answer some questions before looking into a charging system:

1. Do you need control of what's happening with your fleet? - If your fleet is large enough or you're in a charging port desert, you may need to install and control charging ports at your location. That availability provides tight control of costs and ensures charging availability at the end of the day. It's also easy to think that you can rely upon DC-fast charging. But understand that slower is better when it comes to charging. Fast charging wears out a battery. Unfortunately, charging up a commercial electric truck isn't as easy as using a diesel nozzle.
   
   Currently, 90 percent of charging will be at the end of the day at your company. So, if your territory includes predictable routes, Mohr says it's crucial and advantageous for you to have ports at your business.
   
   Chargepoint thinks that 70 percent of businesses will need visibility and control of managing the vehicles and charging costs. And with the added benefits of telematics, you'll be able to track every aspect of vehicle operations.

2. What's My Load Profile? - Using a load profile with the length of time it'll take to charge your vehicle will assist you when talking with the utility company or when selecting the type of equipment needed for charging.
   
   Once you determine your vehicle's daily power needs and multiply that by the number of your EV fleet or future fleet, you'll have the required power level.

3. What's Your Infrastructure? - You'll need help with this, and the first place to start is with the manufacturer of the vehicle you're considering. The manufacturer will assist you in getting an estimate on your expected consumption based on your load profile and vehicle choice.
   
   Your goal here is to get the lowest kilowatt per hour (kWh) you can. For larger trucks, you may be looking at kWh numbers in the 2.5 to 4.0 range. Delivery trucks will be closer to 1.2 kWh.

Can I work with Partners?

The good thing about moving to EV's right now is the help you'll get from truck manufacturers and utility companies. Discounts, rebates, and solid help with infrastructure plans are everywhere. In addition, manufacturers have done extensive work into the TCO of battery-electric operation and will put together a clear point-of-view for your exact situation.

There's no guarantee that battery-electric trucking is a viable option for you. But, after doing your planning and discussing the total cost of operations with utilities and manufacturers, you'll know if EVs are good for you or not.

What Options Do I Have for Securing Charging Ports?

The NACFE says there are two business opportunities for securing charging and the infrastructure.

• Purchasing the stations through a request-for-proposal process.
• Leasing the station from a supplier-owned station.
• Pay for a third party to create and manage a turnkey system that you pay fees to.

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