The lauch of a shipper-carrier coalition to increase the use of heavy-duty electrical vehiches (EV) was announced on September 17 by the Smart Freight Centre, a non-profit organization for climate action in the freight sector.
The coalition consists of some of the world’s largest shippers and carriers, including AIT Worldwide Logistics, DB Schenker, Maersk, Microsoft, and PepsiCo, who will test long-haul heavy-duty battery-electric vehicle operations along the I-10 corridor between Los Angeles, and El Paso, Texas.
“To electrify trucking on a meaningful scale, all stakeholders need to invest in expanding the electric grid for charging capabilities,” said Charles van der Steene, regional president for Maersk North America, in a statement. “With our ambition to reach net zero by 2040, we’re committed to being part of collaborative efforts like these, which help move us toward our goal and allow us to offer customers a more sustainable alternative for trucking.”
EV charging infrastructure is a key linchpin in advancing zero-emission fleet goals. Through this collaboration under Smart Freight Centre, the coalition seeks to demonstrate the possibilities for fleet emissions reduction, while accelerating long-haul EV deployment and cost parity.
By identifying key learnings and developing the wider ecosystem around electric trucks, the pilot aims to attract other shippers and carriers to embark on their electrification transition at scale and encourage technology providers to accelerate development of turn-key solutions for electric transport.
The launch of this coalition also aligns with the U.S. government’s National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, which lays out a framework for zero-emission truck adoption and prioritizes investments, planning, and deployment for medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fueling infrastructure.
“This project represents more than a pilot for heavy-duty EV operations; it puts forward a concrete roadmap to scaling fleet electrification into a full ecosystem,” said Neha Palmer, CEO and Co-Founder of Terawatt. “As we continue to build out the I-10 electric corridor and utilize the recent $63.8M in grant funding alongside NMDOT to develop reliable charging infrastructure solutions, we have a historic opportunity to work with global leaders who share our vision and investment into the sustainable future of mobility.”
Terawatt Infrastructure will serve as the strategic charging solutions partner for the project, providing infrastructure, including software, operations, and maintenance support, at six of its owned charging hubs along the I-10 corridor.
“Truck electrification is one of the most impactful strategies to decarbonize logistics,".said Christoph Wolff, CEO of the Smart Freight Centre, in a statement. "Leading governments are setting clear regulatory standards that will accelerate zero-emission trucks, in particular in Europe and the U.S., spearheaded by California and other progressive states. Through this coalition, we seek to jointly accelerate the uptake of long-haul EV heavy-duty trucks. We look forward to accelerating freight decarbonization and proving that the electric truck corridor can promptly become operational at low volumes, and rapidly scale up afterwards.”
