When the Biden Administration approved $7.4 million to fund seven electrification infrastructure projects, the conventional thinking was these would serve as an alternative to medium- and heavy-duty diesel truck traffic. But recent reports seem to imply the long-term strategy is to pivot away from fossil fuel big rigs and turn I-95 into a zero-emissions corridor.
CALSTART, a non-profit organization tapped to create a strategic East Coast plan, has been forceful in its recent rhetoric. Enjoying the benefits of a two-year, $1.2 million U.S. Department of Energy grant, the company appears to plan to make good on its motto: Changing transportation for good.
“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,” John Boesel, president and CEO of CALSTART, reportedly said. “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.”
Working with National Grid, CALSTART is expected to jointly calculate the 20-year electricity demand necessary to convert the I-95 from New Jersey to Georgia. The study is also expected to review what it would take to transition freight transportation corridors such as I-90, and the port of New York-New Jersey. A second phase, led by National Grid, is expected to focus on moving away from diesel from Maine to New Jersey and identifying how much power would be needed.
“Readying our grid infrastructure for electric trucks will require careful planning and close collaboration across state lines,” Bart Franey, National Grid’s Vice President of Clean Energy Development in New York, reportedly said. “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, and the industry leaders to create a seamless truck charging network across the region.”
A bold undertaking, to say the least. But, the long-term research project does not necessarily review the impact on the cost to truckers required to purchase battery-electric semis. Establishing a zero emissions corridor would likely result in higher freight costs that are passed along to consumers.
Other charging station corridors that could lay the groundwork for banning diesel trucks, consistent with California policy, include the I-80 corridor serving Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio; and Houston to Los Angeles along I-10, including the Texas Triangle region.
https://electrek.co/2023/10/16/i-95-is-going-to-become-an-electric-truck-charging-corridor/
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