The East Coast has started the plans to turn Interstate 95 into a medium- and heavy-duty truck corridor.
The U.S. Department of Energy has given a $1.2 million grant to CALSTART and National Grid to turn I-95 into a zero-emission freight corridor.
CALSTART and National Grid will each develop 20-year demand forecasts after determining what locations, contributors, and processes will be needed to electrify the longest north-south interstate in the US. CALSTART will focus on I-95 from Georgia to New Jersey, while National Grid will focus between New Jersey and Maine.
The two organizations will collaborate to create a roadmap for states, utilities, businesses, and local areas to plan and build an electric truck charging network across 15 states, and seek input from fleet operators, the EV charging industry, utilities, and local communities.
Bart Franey, National Grid’s vice president of clean energy development in New York, said that the DOE-funded projects will help bring the right stakeholders together in order to chart a clear course for the electric truck I-95 corridor. "Readying our grid infrastructure for electric trucks will require careful planning and close collaboration across state lines," Franey said.
John Boesel, president and CEO of CALSTART, added, "The successful implementation of [the I-95 corridor] 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."
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Source: Electrek.co
