The U.S. freight trucking market is beginning to see increased adoption of EV charging.

• Einride, an EV trucking company, is collaborating with Voltera, an EV infrastructure developer, to establish one of the largest EV charging stations in the U.S. for freight trucks, featuring 65 chargers and the capacity to charge 200 vehicles daily.
• The Lynwood, California EV station is a crucial entry point for EV technology at scale in the freight market, as it is located near major ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
• Moller Maersk is among the first freight companies and their clients to eliminate emissions during a container's journey from Shanghai to Chicago.

An EV charging station for freight trucks is opening near the major ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, as the trucking industry takes small but significant steps towards building the infrastructure needed for a long-term transition to electric trucking and net-zero shipping.

The Lynwood Smartcharger Station, constructed by Sweden-based freight mobility company Einride and EV charging infrastructure company Voltera, has 65 chargers and can charge 200 vehicles daily, initially for routes operated by global shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk, which is also a venture investor in Einride and was named to the 2023 CNBC Disruptor 50 list.

Over 29% of all ocean cargo container traffic entering the U.S. is handled by the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Einride's first Smartcharger station launch in the U.S. is a significant step towards making digital, electric freight a vital component of a more robust U.S. freight system, according to Robert Falck, CEO and Founder of Einride.

Since its establishment in 2016, Einride has been operating a substantial fleet of heavy-duty electric trucks for major corporations, including Pepsi.

Matt Horton, CEO of Voltera, stated that the company successfully built, electrified, and made operational an EV infrastructure site in under 18 months, which is a remarkable feat in the charging infrastructure industry.

Although California currently has the only EV freight charging stations of scale, Einride plans to establish many more on the West and East coasts. In addition to the new Lynwood station, logistics company NFI announced a freight EV charging station in February that can handle up to 50 trucks, including from Volvo, in collaboration with Electrify America and Southern California Edison. The NFI EV charging station for port drayage trucks is located at its warehouse facility in Ontario, California, a strategic location to serve the major southern California ports.

EV truck batteries have range limitations, so trucking companies and EV partners are focusing on drayage transportation and moving goods across short distances for use at ports and intermodal logistics facilities.

Erik Neandross, CEO of GNA, a transportation consultant that focuses on low-carbon and zero emissions freight, stated that servicing 50 trucks or more is a significant step up from what has been done in the freight market to date. However, he emphasized that it is still early in the development of EV charging at scale for trucks. "We're in the first half of the first inning," he said. "California is the epicenter of activity at this scale and magnitude."

The government of California has actively provided grants and incentives to construct EV infrastructure, and its utilities have been authorized to invest $750 million in the development. This has made a considerable impact in a market where there are limited EV trucks and charging stations, making it challenging to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of EVs versus diesel fuel.

The combination of government and utility spending, regulations aimed at achieving net zero by 2040, and the carbon goals of major shippers such as consumer products companies and big-box retailers, including Pepsi and Walmart, create an environment that encourages more investment in the U.S. freight market.

The California Air Resources Board mandates that truck manufacturers start incorporating available heavy-duty EV technology into their vehicles this year, with the goal of having all zero-emission short-haul drayage fleets by 2035. Despite comprising only about 4% of vehicles in the U.S., medium and heavy trucks account for more than 25% of total highway fuel consumption and nearly 30% of highway carbon emissions, as per the Department of Energy.

New York, New Jersey, and the Pacific Northwest will see the addition of EV charging projects at ports.

"Now is the ideal time to test it before the upcoming fleet buying cycles," Neandross stated. "It's crucial to construct the infrastructure and then go out to explore and learn."

The entire supply chain, from manufacturing to shipping, requires a complex net zero equation. Companies are targeting energy use, source materials, packaging, and logistics to achieve net zero. "To get to net zero, you have to do all of it," Neandross said. "Companies have been working hard on the non-transport side, such as LED lights and renewable energy. Now it's time to focus on trucks and logistics. It's challenging, but it must be done."

New emissions mandates for cars and pickups were released by the Environmental Protection Agency this week, and it is predicted that the EPA will soon issue new emissions requirements for medium and heavy-duty trucks, making alternatives to diesel engines more competitive, including both compressed natural gas-powered trucks and zero-emission EV trucks.