Penske Truck Leasing has officially debuted their charging stations for electric delivery trucks. They opened up 14 DC fast charging at four facilities in Southern California. According to Penske, these are the first high-speed charging stations specifically designed for commercial electric vehicles in the US.
A few months ago the trucking industry was rocked by the release and testing of the first fully electric long-haul trucks. Penske partnered with Daimler to test these vehicles in the US before launching commercially.
Many in the transportation industry were excited about the idea of adding electric trucks to their fleet. However, there were still logistical issues that needed to be addressed before electric trucks hit the market commercially. A major issue was surrounding the lack of charging stations across North America.
Some in the industry have speculated that other players in the electric vehicle industry such as Tesla were going to rely on major customers such as Pepsi and UPS to build on-site charging stations. While this solution would work for major transportation customers, it wouldn’t help the smaller players.
In order for electric long haul trucks to be adopted, a network of high-speed charging stations needs to be implemented. Penske appears to be working towards this, although the charging stations are currently just limited to Southern California.
Daimler Trucks North America, who has developed and provided the electric trucks to Penske, has also been working on a new high-powered charging system for their vehicles. According to a job listing for an “eMobility Senior Engineer,” they stated they’re looking for someone to “lead future strategy, concepts, and innovation for next generation advanced charging systems, including strategies for very high power charging up to 3 MW.” Comparatively, Tesla is working on their own charging system, which is estimated to have a charging capacity of about 1 MW.
Penske has doubled down on their commitment to electric vehicles. They have recently announced that they joined the Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE) coalition. PAVE is a coalition comprised of industry, non-profit, and academic institutions launching a campaign to inform the public and policymakers about advanced vehicle technologies.
Sherry Sanger, senior VP of marketing for Penske, stated, “Varying levels of automation are already happening in the trucking industry. We're committed to helping advance a better understanding and separating the hype from realities with our customers and general public when it comes to automated trucks.”
It is encouraging to see major trucking companies committed to the integration of electric networks, such as fully electric trucks and charging stations. TRAFFIX is excited about the prospect of the transportation industry adopting these new technologies. To learn more about how TRAFFIX can help with your logistical needs, or if you want to join our team, feel free to contact us!
