Volvo Trucks took another step in its support of electric trucks this week, announcing Wednesday it will collaborate with Greenlots, a global provider of EV (electric vehicle) charging software and solutions, to deploy charging infrastructure for electric trucks operating out of warehouses in Southern California.
The two companies say this is the first heavy-duty fleet-charging project stemming from a significant public-private partnership with the California Air Resources Board (CARB). CARB awarded $44.8 million to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) for Volvo’s Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions (LIGHTS) project. As part of this groundbreaking project, Greenlots will outfit warehouses with heavy- and light-duty charging infrastructure, integrate the chargers with onsite solar PV and energy storage systems and leverage Greenlots’ charging network management software to deploy Volvo’s first electrified trucks in North America.
The companies say all of the charging equipment for the project – including both Level 2 chargers and 150kW DC fast-chargers – will operate on Greenlots’ SKY enterprise software platform to enable seamless management of Volvo’s fleet, charging stations and energy storage systems. Volvo Trucks’ connectivity system also will be integrated to provide truck operators with a comprehensive view of their vehicles’ operational and charging readiness, the companies say.
“The benefits of electrifying medium- and heavy-duty fleets are enormous, but so are the power requirements to charge these large vehicles,” says Brett Hauser, CEO of Greenlots. “Our best-in-class solution offers fleet owners the lowest total cost of ownership by managing energy usage to prevent high utility bills and supplying grid operators with the tools needed to safely integrate EVs and renewables into the grid.”
Greenlots will work with ABB and other charging station manufacturers to provide the equipment, while partnering with Burns & McDonnell to engineer, construct and install the new EV charging stations. The project will be one of the first in North America to demonstrate a new heavy-duty vehicle charging standard, SAE J3068, in real-world applications.
“This is an excellent opportunity to show the end-to-end potential of electrification,” says Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “From solar energy harvesting at our customer locations, to electric vehicle uptime services, to potential second uses for batteries, this project will provide invaluable experience and data for the whole value chain.”
