Commercial vehicles Large charging park for electric trucks opens in California

California has opened a large charging park for electrically powered trucks. The operators generate the nine-megawatt charging capacity themselves.

Near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, USA, a large charging station for heavy electric trucks has come into operation. According to its operators, up to 96 electric trucks can charge here in parallel. A microgrid – a small network of generators – was created for the charging park directly on the Harbor Freeway in Los Angeles.

It is independent of the local energy grid, but can be coupled with it. According to a statement, the modernization of the existing network would have taken up to two years. The facility was built within five months.

In the microgrid, fuel-flexible, hydrogen-capable linear generators operate with a power of 2.75 megawatts. In addition, batteries with a capacity of 18 megawatt-hours are installed. The available charging capacity is nine megawatts. The facility is currently powered by natural gas.

California mandates sales share of electric commercial vehicles

Already this year, manufacturers selling commercial vehicles in the state of California must gradually increase the sales share of electrically powered pickup trucks, vans, and trucks. Specifically, by 2035, 55 percent of delivery vans and small trucks must be fully electric, as must 75 percent of buses and bigger trucks and 40 percent of semi-tractors and heavy-duty trucks.

The legislative proposal was developed by the California Air Resources Board, an advisory body of the state. At the end of 2035, the sale of new diesel trucks will cease. From 2045, vans and trucks can only be newly registered in California if they emit no emissions.

The now opened charging depot is the third for commercial vehicles in Southern California that Prologis Mobility and Performance Team have opened. The other two parks are located in Santa Fe Springs and Commerce. They have a total charging capacity of four megawatts, according to the operator enough for 38 electric trucks; 16 in Santa Fe Springs, 22 in Commerce.

Prologis Mobility is a provider of charging infrastructure. Performance Team is a US-based warehousing and distribution company, which has been part of the logistics service provider Maersk since 2020. It currently operates 140 heavy electric trucks, 126 of them new since October 2023.

Charging parks in California

The regulations of the state of California have led to several charging infrastructure providers being active on site and building charging facilities for trucks. For example, the company "WattEV" opened its first charging station for electric trucks at the port of Long Beach last July. According to local media, up to 26 trucks can charge at the same time here.

The second station followed in April of this year in San Bernardino, about an hour east of Long Beach. Here, up to 24 trucks can charge at the same time. Terrawatt Infrastructure is currently building a charging park for up to 125 electric trucks per day in Rancho Dominquez, near Long Beach. The charging capacity is seven megawatts. Power is expected to flow through the charging cables from mid-2024.