More transportation trucks will be switching to electric on the West Coast
Photo: Tommaso.sansone91 via CC
Last year, nine West Coast utility companies and two agencies joined forces on the West Coast Clean Transit Corridor Initiative, a study that mapped out electric vehicle charging points for trucks. Last month, they published the results of the study, which have implications for the electric truck segment and the nation’s current EV charging infrastructure.
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The study’s results and recommendations
The report from this study proposed adding EV chargers at 50-mile intervals along Interstate 5 and adjoining highways for delivery trucks and freight haulers. It also articulated a need for more funding from the private sector, as well as from state and federal programs, as Clean Technica’s Cynthia Shahan shares.
These additional charging stations will have major impacts on the environment. In addition to reducing emissions, they will improve the health of residents who live near truck routes, says Eva DeCesaro, senior product manager at Transportation Electrification for Pacific Power.
According to the report, scientific data indicates that people who live near truck-traffic corridors are more likely to have respiratory issues like asthma, and are more prone to conditions such as chronic bronchitis and lung disease. Inhaling particulate pollution has also been linked to higher fatalities for COVID-19 patients.
Yet another benefit of installing these charging points for electric trucks is that it will help bolster the economy of West Coast states in the wake of the pandemic. “Major investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure will help significantly with economic recovery from COVID-19 in our states,” said Katie Sloan, director of eMobility and Building Electrification for Southern California Edison.
Electrifying the transportation industry
Considering that the transportation sector is responsible for more than 40 percent of California’s greenhouse gases and more than 80 percent of the state’s overall air pollution, the expanded charging network promises to significantly curb emissions for West Coast states. Hopefully, more states will follow suit by contributing to EV infrastructure projects of their own, as the U.S. slowly, but surely, starts shifting toward an EV culture.
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Whitney Russell is a current resident of Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not adventuring through the exciting world of car news, she can be found hiking with her husband and their two dogs, motorcycling, visiting nephews and nieces, discovering new memes, thrifting, decorating, crafting, woodburning, researching random things, and escaping into a great movie. See more articles by Whitney.
