Report details how to implement charging infrastructure for electric trucks

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency has issued a report about the commercial electric vehicle charging infrastructure, giving a 10-point plan on how to implement the infrastructure.

In a report titled “Charging Forward with Electric Trucks,” the North American Council for Freight Efficiency provided guidance regarding the implementation of electric truck charging infrastructure. The report lays out a 10-step plan to implement truck charging.

1. Assign an internal manager: Select someone to champion the project internally and work with all stakeholders.
2. Consult with key stakeholders early and often: This includes utilities , landlords, AHJ, authorities having jurisdiction, and original equipment manufacturers.
3. Assess electrical service: Work with your utility and contractor to understand current service capacity, additional capacity needs, timelines and costs.
4. Select electric vehicles: Choose vehicles based on your fleet’s use, duty cycles, distance traveled, load characteristics, etc.
5. Select chargers: Choose chargers based on fleet requirements, utility cost structure, and  original equipment manufacturers’ recommendations.
6. Assess financing: Explore local, state, federal, and utility incentives, grants and rebates as well as ownership models.
7. Procure charging components: This includes hardware, software and service plan.
8. Design site plan/permit the project: Consider hiring an engineering team.
9. Construct charging infrastructure: Maintaining a schedule is paramount, and mitigating delays is a team effort.
10. Commission charging hardware: Use authorized commission agents for this step.

Establishing a charging infrastructure will not be cheap.

A Level 2 AC charger will cost anywhere from several hundred to a few thousand dollars per charger. A DC fast charger ranges from $15,000 to $90,000 per charger. However, grants, incentives, and subsidies are at a historic high, according to the report. Clean Cities Coalitions and the electric utility company are sources of information on financial incentives.

Not all chargers work well with all vehicles. The report recommends working closely with the vehicle manufacturer when selecting charging equipment.

“Fleets need to select a set of chargers to provide the electricity they need in a way that minimizes overall total cost of operation, including capital cost for the infrastructure, cost for electricity, any associated equipment, and maintenance and repair costs,” the report states.

Building a charging infrastructure will take time as well. According to the report, it can take as long as 12-36 months to get a few megawatts or more at any given site. LL

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