With a fleet of Freightliner eCascadia battery electric semi-trucks on order, Schneider National Inc, a premier provider of transportation, intermodal and logistics services, needed to ensure the vehicle chargers would be ready when the first batch of electric trucks arrived at the South El Monte facility.
Schneider partnered with Black & Veatch and Southern California Edison to conduct an in-depth analysis of charging feasibility, energy planning, and program requirements of operating an electric fleet.
Black & Veatch, a leader in the clean transportation industry, then provided the design, engineering, permitting and installation of sixteen 350KW dual-corded EV charging dispensers and four 1.2 MW power cabinets for the South El Monte charging depot. As part of the site development, Black & Veatch removed the existing gravel and dirt parking lot and installed a 14,900 square foot concrete parking lot.
The 16 Power Electronics dispensers can charge 32 trucks simultaneously, with the trucks reaching 80% charge within 90 minutes.
“What Black & Veatch brought to this project was a partnership,” said Jake Lepke, senior project manager with Schneider, noting that the engineers and designers who started the project, on the planning and feasibility side, were also the ones constructing the site. This team continuity helped Black & Veatch permit and construct the site in four months.
Funding for 50 of Schneider’s 92 battery-electric trucks was made possible by JETSI, the first battery-electric truck project jointly funded by the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission, which together awarded the project $27 million. The JETSI project is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Schneider South El Monte site is leading the way for other organizations to move to electric vehicles.
“This project demonstrates how we can implement zero-emission technology in transportation and reduce pollution,” said Randal Kaufman, sales director, Black & Veatch. “That’s exciting for our companies and will have a positive impact on society.”
