Volvo Trucks isn’t waiting for someone else to build a charging network for electric semi trucks – they’re doing it themselves!
Volvo Trucks North America recently announced a plan to develop a publicly accessible charging network for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles (MHD EV) that connects several of California’s largest metropolitan areas. Dubbed the Electrified Charging Corridor Project, the program will aim to address barriers to long-range MHD EV deployments and spur more widespread adoption. Funding will come with the help of an award from the California Energy Commission (CEC) worth $2 million.
The program will start here in 2022, with all five stations expected to be online by the end of 2023.
Over the next 18 months, the project will deploy high-powered chargers at Volvo Trucks dealerships in Oakland, Dixon, Stockton, Fresno, and Bakersfield, serving as extensions to chargers that are already available in Fontana and La Mirada.
Volvo Trucks’ Electric Semi Charging Corridor
With these charging stations located at strategic intervals, fleets using battery-electric trucks would be able to complete zero-tailpipe emission routes between Northern, Central, and South California.
The Electrified Charging Corridor Project’s goal is to create convenient charging options for:
- Small business fleets that don’t want to make major financial investments in large-scale charging infrastructure at their own sites.
- Fleets looking to pilot electric vehicles through rental and short-term lease opportunities.
- Fleets that need an OEM-neutral location to “opportunity charge” along their routes.
“This project will open the door to a truly electrified freight future in which zero-tailpipe emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks are no longer limited to short-mileage, return-to-base operations and can reach far and wide across the state,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America. “We are excited to begin construction of the Electrified Charging Corridor Project this year in collaboration with these pioneering truck dealerships so that we can further support fleets in successfully integrating battery-electric trucks into their operations, including our Volvo VNR Electric model. With the support of the CEC helping to drive and manifest this project, we will see an accelerated progression with ripple effects across the industry.”
This project is in partnership with Volvo Financial Services, Volvo Technology of America, Shell Recharge Solutions, TEC Equipment, Affinity Truck Center, and Western Truck Center.
Volvo Trucks’ 2nd-Gen BEV
SOURCE | IMAGES: VOLVO TRUCKS.
