The technology for electric truck mega-charging is surging versus diesel trucks.
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In the United States, California leads efforts to convert diesel-powered trucks to electric trucks and to construct the stations and depots on which these new vehicles operate. Recently, WattEV, a trucking-as-a-service startup, announced that they had secured federal grants worth $75.6 million to build three additional charging depots for electric vehicles in California.
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Working with local government partners, WattEV plans to build two new depots along the I-5 corridor in California's Central Valley. One depot will provide a whopping 258 charging stations whilst the other will be situated in Blythe, a city on the California-Arizona border.
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These depots will come with battery storage and solar panels that generate clean energy to help reduce the enormous pressure on their power infrastructure. They will also play a key role in bringing WattEV's megawatt charging stations to market. These stations are designed to charge vehicles faster than the existing direct-current rapid chargers.
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Additionally, WattEV plans to equip its two current locations in the California Central Valley with 17-megawatt chargers and 175 standard DC rapid chargers with a capacity of 350 kilowatts.
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Black and Veatch, a worldwide leader in engineering, consulting, and construction services, worked with NREL (the National Renewable Energy Laboratory) to conceptualize a multi-Megawatt charging station. This unique endeavor holds the potential to fundamentally alter electric vehicle charging infrastructure. With this new station, the discussion shifts from kilowatts to hundreds of kilowatts, significantly altering the electric vehicle landscape. Forthcoming WattEV mega-charging depots will adopt a comparable electrical design and topology, and the Black and Veatch proposal provides valuable insight into the potential appearance and functionality of future charging power stations, diagrammed below.
Sources: NRTEL , Black & Veatch , Canary Media
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