Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
West Coast charts future for electric trucks
Most of the attention on adopting electric vehicles is focused on passenger cars. California, for example, has set a goal to have at least 5 million zero-emission vehicles on the state’s highways by 2030.
But the called-for transition also includes trucks and big rigs, and with that in mind, a coalition of electric utilities on the West Coast released a study recommending the establishment of a network of charging stations for freight haulers and delivery trucks along Interstate 5 — from San Diego in the south to Washington’s border with Canada in the north.
In addition to 27 sites along the 1,300-mile I-5 corridor, the proposed road map would also include 41 charging locations on adjoining highways in California, Oregon and Washington.
Called the West Coast Transit Corridor Initiative, the plan proposes a phased approach that envisions installing 27 charging sites in 50-mile intervals for medium-duty electric vehicles such as delivery vans by 2025.
Then, 14 of those 27 sites would expand to accommodate charging infrastructure for big rigs by 2030.
Given that the number of electric-powered trucks currently on the road is negligible, the plan is as ambitious as it is innovative.
If all of the components of the plan were put into place, the price would come to around $850 million over about 10 years, said Katie Sloan, director of eMobility and Building Electrification at Southern California Edison.
That’s a hefty price tag, but proponents say the initiative would be a good investment.
“The really beneficial thing about transportation electrification is once you get mass adoption of electric vehicles, it helps you to use the grid more efficiently and rates can come down for all customers,” Sloan said. “So we see investment in EV infrastructure as a win-win-win. It’s good for jobs and the economy. It’s good for the environment and it can help lower overall costs for customers.”