Electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure is slowly and spottily taking shape, but the heavy commercial vehicle space is an area where the pace may be quickening with more intensity and urgency.
As more trucking companies and truck manufacturers make big bottom line-enhancing bets on electric propulsion, charging stations that can perform at a dependably high level are the focus of serious study and growing investment — and they’re also starting to go up in bigger numbers.
There’s enough of a trend taking shape for a machine-to-machine/IoT market research firm to author a newly released study, Charging Infrastructure for Heavy Commercial Vehicles in Europe and North. Berg Insight estimates the number of connected charging points in the U.S. – those that employ wireless technology to allow real-time communication between the charging station, the EV driver, and the maintenance and service provider – could reach 378,000 by 2030, up from 4,150 in 2022. Europe is on pace to grow similarly, from 6,400 last year to 390,000 by 2030.
Electric commercial vehicle OEMs, charge point operators (CPOs), charging equipment manufacturers, and software providers are all part of the push to bring more connected charging stations online, Berg says. The goal goes well beyond simply installing chargers; the connectivity element that will allow stations to be networked is essential to performance/reliability and a primary mission of the infrastructure build out.
In a press release, Berg quoted Love Meuller, Internet of Things (IoT) analyst at Berg Insight, saying that “connectivity will be crucial for managing the charging process effectively and a vital part of the charging infrastructure for both non-public and public charging." Elements of that connectivity will enable real-time monitoring of charging station operational status; implementation of advanced load management techniques affecting power draw from the grid; ease of station usage by drivers; efficient utilization of renewable energy sources; and peak demand management.
CPOs currently active in the development of North American charging networks for heavy-duty commercial EVs include ChargePoint, Forum Mobility, Greenlane, and TeraWatt Infrastructure, the report notes.
Greenlane, a venture of Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), LLC, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, and BlackRock Alternatives, was announced in April. The trio will design, develop, install, and operate Greenlane as a high-performance zero-emission public charging and hydrogen fueling network for medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Created last year, the $650-million joint venture is looking to address the charging infrastructure challenge that it says is the greatest obstacle to trucking industry decarbonization.
“The nation's fleets can only transform with the critical catalyst of publicly accessible charging designed to meet the needs for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles,” John O'Leary, president and chief executive officer, DTNA, said in a news release.
In announcing Greenlane, the venture revealed that its first site will be in Southern California. Sites are being acquired for other stations along various freight routes along the east and west coasts and in Texas. The network will be rolled out in stages, the first being medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, followed by hydrogen fueling stations for fuel cell trucks and then light-duty electric vehicles.
NextEra Energy’s involvement signals that the venture plans to power the charging network with renewable energy, that company’s focus. The sites will also leverage newly developed charging and energy management software and subsidiary NextEra Mobility’s experience in energy, analytics and infrastructure development.
Greenlane and other CPO projects under development will likely be works in progress, testing multiple configurations, connections and features in pursuit of efficiency and reliability. Some ground has already been broken in that regard. DTNA partnered with Portland (Ore.) General Electric and electrical engineering firm Black & Veatch to open a heavy duty electric truck charging site, Electric Island, in Portland in 2021. It was conceived to accelerate the development, testing and deployment of zero emissions commercial vehicles. It was built to provide charging for all types of EVs, but trucks primarily, and to provide PGE and DTNA with data to study energy management, charger use and performance, and the charging performance, specifically, of DTNA vehicles.
Tom Zind is an independent analyst and freelance writer based in Lees Summit, Mo. He can be reached at [email protected].
