National Grid Building Electric Truck Charging Roadmap for the Northeast
National Grid unveiled plans for a significant study to underpin the electrification of commercial fleets, an initiative which will chart the requirements for truck charging across almost 3,000 miles of major highways in the U.S. Northeast. This groundbreaking project is backed by a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is anticipated to span a period of two years. The objective is to establish a comprehensive Northeast Freight Corridors Charging Plan, with an emphasis on highways that experience heavy trucking traffic, such as I-95 and I-90, as well as commercial hubs like the Port of New York and New Jersey.
The study spearheaded by National Grid will create 20-year demand forecasts for over 100 locations spanning New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and all New England states. This critical analysis is set to drive investment and policy decision-making, while delineating a concrete pathway for states, utilities, businesses, and local communities to strategize and construct a charging network that can sustain the large-scale electrification of the Northeast’s highest emitting sector. The Northeast Freight Corridors Charging Plan is a substantial extension of National Grid’s pioneering Electric Highways Study unveiled in 2022. The initial study projected that by 2045, large highway fast-charging sites could demand more power than a small town.
As more electric trucks infiltrate our roadways, it becomes imperative that our grid and charging infrastructure keep pace with this rapid evolution. These larger electric vehicles, often utilized for long haul routes, require frequent recharging—a demand that the current infrastructure struggles to meet. Presently, charging options for these electric behemoths remain limited, with the majority of charging stations being equipped primarily to service smaller passenger vehicles. This gap in the infrastructure poses a challenge to the broad adoption of electric trucks, and calls for a concerted effort to upgrade and expand the charging network to meet the unique needs of commercial electric vehicles.
“Readying our grid infrastructure for electric trucks will require careful planning and close collaboration across state lines,” said Bart Franey, Vice President of Clean Energy Development in New York, National Grid. “This DOE grant award brings the right stakeholders into the same room to chart a clear course for electric truck charging across the Northeast. This roadmap will inform efforts by states, utilities, communities, and industry leaders to create a seamless truck charging network across the region.”
A coordinated effort to ramp up an east coast charging network for electric trucks
National Grid is actively collaborating with industry partners to expedite transportation electrification in the Northeast, assisting communities in keeping up with current and future policy-driven and market-driven demands. In this pioneering effort, National Grid is partnering with RMI, the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), Clean Communities of Central New York, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of DOE. Furthermore, there will be a close coordination with CALSTART, the recipient of a similar DOE grant, to chart the truck charging needs south of National Grid’s study area. CALSTART is also known for school bus electrification.
Together, these studies are projected to cover approximately 3,700 miles of highways and freight corridors, inclusive of 1,300 miles of I-95 from Georgia to the Canadian border, potentially marking one of the longest truck charging corridors in the country. When integrated, the extended analysis will encompass 15 states, supporting over 300 million tons of freight transported via East Coast ports each year, and several of the largest U.S. cities.
John Boesel, president and CEO of CALSTART said, “The I-95 Corridor project, once completed, will put into practice the integration of zero-emission vehicles, infrastructure, and addressing climate-change issues that has been carried out in other areas of the country. The successful implementation of this project will put to rest the unfounded concerns of zero-emission opponents by demonstrating that this technology is both economically feasible and a benefit to all.”
David Sandbank, Vice President of Distributed Energy Resources New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) said, “This study will help deepen the understanding of electrification needs and help New York State and the region strategically put more medium and heavy-duty electric trucks on the road. Growing the number of charging locations throughout key travel corridors will lower emissions and pollution while ensuring goods and services are delivered in a cleaner, more sustainable way.”
Paul Miller, Executive Director of NESCAUM, a regional association of air quality agencies in eight northeast states that will help engage state governments in the Northeast Freight Corridors Charging Plan said, “A rapid transition to zero-emission freight transport is urgently needed to slash greenhouse gas emissions and to improve air quality and public health in the communities along freight routes that have long borne inequitable impacts from diesel-powered trucking. This foundational study will help to expedite a charging network that can scale quickly and cost-effectively as more zero-emission trucks take to the road.”
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) under the Award Number DE-EE0010647.
