Electrify America aims to create 34 DC fast chargers to support the development of a 60-strong fleet of electric heavy-duty freight trucks being planned to serve the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The project is the single largest infrastructure project currently being completed in support of heavy-duty electric trucks in the U.S. and Electrify America is partnering with NFI Industries on it. The project is also receiving help from the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative, which plans to help fund 50 of the vehicles while the other 10 are being funded by Volvo Trucks North America and SWITCH-ON.
“Electrify America is constantly embarking on innovative initiatives to drive the EV industry forward, and this milestone project is the latest example of the company’s leadership in thinking bigger and bolder about the future of mobility,” said Rachel Moses, Director of Commercial Services, Business Development & Green Cities at Electrify America. “We are delighted to collaborate with NFI and look forward to installing a first-of-its-kind commercial charging facility to power this fleet of electric freight trucks.”
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The ultra-fast DC chargers are expected to be up and running by 2023 and will be installed at NFI Industry’s Ontario, California facility. The fleet will be the first all-electric hauling fleet operating in California and will transport goods between NFI’s facility and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
“As NFI continues to spearhead supply chain sustainability and minimize the industry’s environmental impact, many elements need to align to ensure we continue making progress,” said Bill Bliem, Senior Vice President of Fleet Services at NFI. “We are excited for this opportunity to collaborate with the charging infrastructure experts at Electrify America as we move beyond our demonstration projects and scale our Ontario facility infrastructure to support a 100% electric drayage fleet.”
To help make the chargers more resilient, the charging facility will also get energy storage facilities and solar panels to ensure there’s always enough power to charge the trucks.
