New study to inform planning and investment for truck charging
infrastructure across thousands of miles of highways in the
Northeast.
WALTHAM,
Mass. and BROOKLYN,
N.Y., Oct. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --National Grid
today is announcing the kickoff of a landmark study to support the
electrification of commercial fleets, mapping out truck charging
needs across nearly 3,000 miles of major highways in the U.S.
Northeast. Funded by a $1.2 million
grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the two-year
effort to build a Northeast Freight Corridors Charging Plan
will focus on highways with heavy trucking traffic, including I-95
and I-90, and areas with commercial activity, like the Port of
New York and New Jersey.
The study led by National Grid will develop 20-year demand
forecasts for more than 100 sites across New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, and
all New England states. This analysis could guide investment and
policy decisions, while providing a clear path for states,
utilities, businesses, and local communities to plan and build a
charging network that supports large-scale electrification of the
largest emitting sector of the Northeast's economy.
The Northeast Freight Corridors Charging Plan will expand upon
National Grid's first-in-the-nation Electric Highways Study
released in 2022, which found that large highway fast-charging
sites could require more power than a small town by 2045.
As more electric trucks enter roadways, grid and charging
infrastructure must keep pace. Larger electric vehicles require
frequent recharging on long haul routes, but charging options for
electric trucks remain limited, with most charging stations only
equipped to serve smaller passenger 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
National Grid is engaging with industry partners to drive
transportation electrification in the Northeast and help
communities keep pace with policy- and market-driven demand now and
in the future. The company is leading this groundbreaking study
effort in partnership with RMI, the Northeast States for
Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), Clean Communities of
Central New York, and DOE's
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
National Grid will also closely coordinate with CALSTART, the
recipient of a similar DOE grant, to map out truck charging needs
south of National Grid's study area. The two studies are set to
cover a combined 3,700 miles of highways and freight corridors,
including 1,300 miles of I-95 from Georgia all the way to the Canadian border –
plotting out what could be one of the longest truck charging
corridors in the country. When integrated together, this broader
analysis will span 15 states, supporting more than 300 million tons
of freight moving through ports on the East Coast each year, as
well as several of the largest cities in the U.S.
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.
About National Grid
National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and
clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people
through our networks in New York
and Massachusetts. National Grid
is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future —
transforming our networks with more reliable and resilient energy
solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.
For more information, please visit our website, follow us
on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, like us
on Facebook and find us on Instagram.
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SOURCE National Grid