WattEV installing California’s first solar-powered 'electric truck stop'

WattEV installing California’s first solar-powered ‘electric truck stop’

WattEV also says it plans to run its own fleet of 30 heavy-duty electric trucks by the end of 2022.

WattEV Inc. is set to receive a $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to build the state’s first solar-powered truck stop dedicated to heavy-duty electric trucks. Groundbreaking for the project is expected in late October. The announcement was made at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo 2021 in Long Beach. WattEV, based in El Segundo, Calif., said the CEC is anticipated to approve the grant on Sept. 8 at its monthly business meeting.

“Our successful private-equity seed funding, in addition to the grant awarded for this project, are important milestones in our effort to deploy 12,000 electric heavy-duty trucks on the road by 2030,” said Salim Youssefzadeh, CEO of WattEV.

Partners joining WattEV and the CEC on the Bakersfield electric truck stop project include the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, the Central California Asthma Collaborative, Greenlots and Power Electronics. In addition to the Bakersfield project, WattEV says it is in the planning stages for similar projects in San Bernardino and Gardena in Southern California. Both of these electric truck stops will serve the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach and the warehouses fed by goods coming through the ports.

To enable these projects and support further expansion, WattEV has raised $6 million in private equity seed funding led by Canon Equity. WattEV also has secured purchase incentive vouchers through the California Air Resources Board’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), initially for six VNR Electric Class 8 trucks from Volvo Group, and has applied for 24 more electric truck HVIP vouchers.

WattEV says it plans to run its own fleet of 30 heavy-duty electric trucks by the end of 2022 to deploy under contract with several Southern California fleet customers.

The first fleet partnership is with Total Transportation Services, Inc. (TTSI), one of the leading freight transporters making the transition to EV trucks serving the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and with a presence in Bakersfield. TTSI will be offering electric transport freight services to shippers in Southern California on routes served by WattEV’s platform.

WattEV says it is also developing an advanced software platform – trucks-as-a-service (TaaS) – designed specifically for the use of electric trucks within its network of charging stations on designated routes. The TaaS platform will offer an all-inclusive, charge-per-mile formula that will enable a transporter to use an electric truck to move goods normally handled with diesel trucks on the routes selected by shippers committed to clean air, the company says.

You May Also Like

EPA certifies Shyft Group’s Blue Arc vans with 200-mile range

The EPA’s certification helps clear the way for Blue Arc vehicles to start production and be sold across the U.S.

blue-arc-ev-solutions-class-3-walk-in-van-EPA-1400

The Shyft Group announced it has completed testing and received certification from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the company’s Blue Arc EV Solutions Class 3, 4 and 5 electric delivery vehicles. EPA test results have revealed the Blue Arc Class 3 all-electric delivery vehicle can achieve up to a 200-mile range based on the EPA cycle test with a 165kwh battery pack.

Lightning eMotors ZEV3 van gets Buy America certification

Lightning eMotors’s ZEV3 passenger van boasts up to 200 miles of range.

Lightning-eMotors-Buy-America
Cummins to provide zero-emissions solutions via Accelera brand

Accelera will concentrate on zero-emissions solutions like hydrogen fuel cells, batteries, e-axles and traction systems.

Accelera-Cummins-1400
2024 Polestar 2 boasts more power, range

Next-generation electric motors and inverters have been fitted to provide more horsepower and torque.

2024-Polestar-2-1400
Tips for diving into EV repair

Delve into the details of one shop owner’s journey diving into EV collision repair work.

EV-REPAIR-tesla-1400

Other Posts

New coating found to help maximize solar panel yield

No or only very little dirt can stay on surfaces with this, meaning solar panel cleaning is “automatic.”

Maximize-solar-panel-yield-1400
Beam Global debuts trailer made for EV ARC solar-powered charger

The ARC Mobility trailer was designed to stow, transport, place and deploy solar-powered EV ARC charging solutions.

beam-global-arc-mobility-trailer-ev-arc-1400
Ideanomics, Mahle partner on N.A. commercial EV fleets

Ideanomics will have exclusive rights for five years to distribute the ChargeBig 18-36 AC charging system.

Ideanomics-Mahle-ChargeBIG-1400
How wireless charging could forever eliminate range anxiety

HEVO founder and CEO Jeremy McCool explains his view on the tie between wireless EV charging and mass EV adoption in the U.S.

Amped-Featured-Image-EP33-HEVO