The adoption of Electric Trucks is rapidly transforming the transportation industry, and the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative (JETSI) project stands at the forefront of this revolution. As one of California’s pioneering initiatives, JETSI is designed to provide invaluable real-world insights into the large-scale deployment of Class 8 battery electric trucks (BETs). This project serves as a crucial guide for fleets aiming to transition to zero-emission technologies, showcasing the practicalities, challenges, and benefits of integrating electric trucks into existing operations.
Project Overview: Driving Electric Truck Adoption at Scale
Spearheaded by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), JETSI is a collaborative effort involving key stakeholders such as the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC), Southern California Edison (SCE), the Port of Long Beach, and the Port of Los Angeles. The ambitious goal of JETSI is to deploy 100 electric trucks across drayage and regional haul services. Two major fleet partners, National Freight Industries (NFI) and Schneider, are integral to this project. NFI will operate 50 electric trucks in drayage operations, while Schneider will deploy 50 electric trucks, split between regional haul (30) and drayage (20) applications. To support this large-scale electric truck deployment, NFI is also installing a significant infrastructure backbone, including a 1 MW solar array and a 4 MWh battery energy storage system.
This project is not just about deploying electric trucks; it’s about creating a comprehensive ecosystem for their successful operation. The electric trucks involved in JETSI are designed to achieve a minimum daily range of 150–200 miles on a single charge, making them suitable for demanding drayage and short regional haul tasks. Beyond the vehicles themselves, the project encompasses essential support services like networking software for charger management, demand response capabilities, fleet uptime and reliability solutions, and complete maintenance service plans. The integration of solar and energy storage further aims to mitigate demand charges and enhance the economic viability of electric truck operations.
Key Innovations and Technologies in Electric Truck Deployment
The JETSI project is a showcase of cutting-edge innovations in the electric truck sector. Several key features are being implemented and evaluated:
- Diverse Electric Truck Configurations: The project utilizes multiple electric truck configurations to effectively meet the varied demands of drayage and regional haul applications, ensuring optimal performance and range for different operational needs.
- Advanced Battery Technology: Later model year electric trucks deployed in the project benefit from increased energy density battery chemistry, extending their operational range and efficiency. This highlights the rapid advancements in battery technology for electric vehicles.
- Renewable Energy Integration: The inclusion of solar energy and battery storage is a critical innovation. It aims to reduce grid dependency, lower energy costs, and explore the potential of second-life batteries, creating a more sustainable and resilient energy infrastructure for electric truck fleets.
- Smart Charging Solutions: Networked chargers equipped with sophisticated fleet management software are being deployed. This technology is crucial for maximizing charger utilization, ensuring fleet uptime, and optimizing energy consumption.
- Fleet Uptime Software: The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is developing specialized fleet uptime software to further enhance charger utilization and overall fleet reliability, a vital aspect for large-scale electric truck operations.
Lessons Learned: Navigating the Challenges of Electric Truck Infrastructure
The JETSI project is not only demonstrating the potential of electric trucks but also uncovering crucial lessons about the practical challenges of deploying large-scale electric vehicle infrastructure. Key learnings include:
- Utility Regulatory Complexities: Navigating utility regulatory policies and incentive programs proved to be complex. Current regulations do not always adequately support the deployment of microgrid technologies like solar and energy storage within infrastructure incentive programs, creating financial and logistical hurdles.
- Infrastructure Costs: The costs associated with grid upgrades, solar and storage installations, temporary power solutions, and specialized labor significantly increase the overall expense of large-scale electric truck infrastructure projects.
- Inter-Agency Coordination: Successfully deploying infrastructure for electric trucks, solar, and storage at scale requires coordinated efforts from multiple agencies, including the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), utilities, the California Energy Commission (CEC), and air districts. Streamlining these processes is essential to avoid project delays.
- Incentive Program Design: Future statewide infrastructure incentive programs should be designed to include grid upgrades, solar and storage, and temporary power as eligible costs to better support comprehensive electric truck deployments.
- Importance of Communication and Planning: Close coordination with utilities, cities, and equipment manufacturers is critical throughout the infrastructure deployment process due to long lead times and the numerous approvals required.
- Deployment Synchronization: Aligning infrastructure deployment timelines with electric truck delivery schedules is a significant challenge that requires careful planning and flexibility.
- Phased Construction: Implementing phased construction activities is essential to minimize disruptions to ongoing fleet operations during infrastructure build-out.
Project Status and Community Engagement
Significant progress has been made in the JETSI project. Schneider completed its electric truck and infrastructure deployment in June 2023, marking a major milestone. A media event hosted by Schneider in June 2023, with participation from public agencies like South Coast AQMD, CARB, CEC, and MSRC, highlighted the project’s achievements and impact. NFI’s electric truck deployment is ongoing, with temporary power charging infrastructure expected to be completed in August 2023 and permanent power charging slated for March 2024.
Data collection and analysis are also underway. Ricardo is collecting baseline and operational data from both Schneider and NFI electric trucks to assess performance and efficiency. CALSTART is developing a comprehensive infrastructure data collection plan to further analyze the charging infrastructure performance and utilization. The project also emphasizes workforce development, with surveys conducted to inform a ZEV workforce plan. Students from Rio Hondo and San Bernardino Valley College have been actively involved, visiting industry events and gaining valuable insights, with several students securing jobs with project partners. Community outreach is another key component, with the Coalition for Clean Air and LACI hosting workshops to communicate the technology and economic benefits of electric trucks to disadvantaged communities. Furthermore, the University of California Riverside (UCR) is developing eco-routing strategies specifically for electric trucks to optimize energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
Conclusion: Paving the Way for Electric Truck Future
The JETSI project is playing a pivotal role in demonstrating the viability and scalability of electric trucks for freight transportation. By tackling real-world deployment challenges, generating valuable data, and fostering collaboration among key stakeholders, JETSI is providing a roadmap for the broader adoption of electric trucks. The lessons learned and innovations showcased in this project are instrumental in shaping policies, guiding future investments, and accelerating the transition towards a cleaner, more sustainable freight industry powered by electric trucks.
