Volvo Trucks North America is looking to develop a publicly accessible network of charging stations for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles in California to enable zero-tailpipe emission freight transport.
Volvo Trucks is partnering with Volvo Financial Services, Volvo Technology of America, Shell Recharge Solutions, TEC Equipment, Affinity Truck Center, and Western Truck Center on this Electrified Charging Corridor Project that aims to offer convenient charging for –
· Small business fleets that are not ready to make heavy financial investments in large-scale charging infrastructure at their site,
· Fleets looking to pilot an electric vehicle through rental and short-term lease opportunities; and
· Fleets that need an OEM-neutral location to "opportunity charge" along their route.
As part of the project, high-powered chargers will be deployed at existing Volvo Trucks' dealership locations in Central and Northern California, including TEC Equipment Oakland, TEC Equipment Dixon, Western Truck Center in Stockton, and Affinity Truck Centers in Fresno and Bakersfield, over the next 18 months. These charging stations are expected to commission by the end of 2023 and will serve as an extension to the charging stations already available at the TEC Fontana and TEC La Mirada locations in Southern California.
The strategically located and easily accessible chargers will allow battery-electric trucks to complete their zero-tailpipe emission journey across Southern, Central, and Northern California routes.
Patrick Shannon, North American President at Volvo Financial Services said, "Volvo Financial Services is committed to the development of new solutions and business models to enable innovative fleets to take the leap to zero emissions transportation while minimizing their required investments in private charging infrastructure."
The Electrified Charging Corridor Project is supported by a $2 million grant from the California Energy Commission under the BESTFIT Innovative Charging Solutions program. The project is aimed at addressing some major barriers to long-range medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle (MHD EV) deployments and boost the adoption of electric trucks.
"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," Peter Voorhoeve, President, Volvo Trucks North America said. "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."
