What you need to know:
- WattEV has broken ground on its sixth heavy-duty electric truck charging depot, located at the Port of Oakland, Calif.
- This depot will enable the first-ever zero-emission freight corridor connecting the Bay Area to Sacramento and Nevada, and it will be the first public charging station at the Port of Oakland.
- The new depot will feature Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS), allowing Class 8 electric trucks to charge in under 30 minutes, similar to diesel refueling times.
- The project involves cooperation with CARB, the California Energy Commission, and local officials to support California’s zero-emission freight goals.
WattEV is showing no signs of slowing down with its latest and, perhaps, most significant charging depot and freight corridor expansion to date.
The California-based Trucking-as-a-Service (TaaS) provider has just announced it has broken ground on its sixth heavy-duty battery-electric truck depot, this time at the Port of Oakland.
[Related: WattEV exceeds 75,000 emission-free miles weekly]
Aside from the general expansion of the company's footprint, this new depot is vital because it will establish the first-ever zero-emission freight corridor from the Bay Area to the Northern California region (specifically Sacramento) and Nevada. It'll also be the first public charging depot at the Port.
"Until now, most truck charging infrastructure has been concentrated in Southern California," explained WattEV CEO and founder Salim Youseffzadeh. "This project marks a significant milestone for WattEV, the Bay Area, and California’s zero emission freight future. We’re thrilled to enable zero-emission freight transport from key ports like Oakland and Stockton into Sacramento and Nevada."
Youseffzadeh told Clean Trucking the depot will be completed and operational by no later than Q1 of next year.
"This depot will help electrify routes to Sacramento, Stockton, and beyond," he continued. "We're also evaluating additional routes that can go to Nevada and Arizona. It's truly a team effort for this to get up and running. It requires working with CARB, the energy commission, and local officials. Everybody understands how significant this step forward is because it opens the gateway to electrification of freight in California."
Like WattEV's five other depots, this latest one will boast Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS) capable of charging a Class 8 rig, such as the Tesla Semi, in a matter of minutes rather than hours. This will reduce charging “dwell times” to 30 minutes or less, comparable to diesel refueling times.
[Related: WattEV has big plans for Megawatt charging]
The completed depot will be capable of charging 25 medium- and heavy-duty trucks concurrently at up to 240 kW each or six trucks at 1.2 MW.
"Any MCS capable truck will be able to rapid charge and go over 500 miles on a single charge," Youseffzadeh added. "We're still working with shippers on identifying the routes and we're tying to get the drivers back to their original locations. All in, it's about 13 hours for the driver."
WattEV's existing network of five charging depots are located at the Port of Long Beach, Bakersfield, San Bernardino, Gardena and Vernon. Another 15 sites are in development. The company aims to have 12,000 HD electric trucks on California roads by 2030.
Looking even further ahead, WattEV plans to have 100 charging stations in operation by 2035.
