Trucking news and briefs for Friday, July 26, 2024:
TA breaks ground on public electric truck charging station
Four 400-kW chargers are expected to be in use in 2025, with an additional 1-MW charger going live in 2026.TravelCenters of America
TravelCenters of America announced Tuesday that it has broken ground on what will be one of the nation’s first public truck charging stations at its Ontario, California, TA location.
The truck charging station will have four 400-kW chargers, to go live in early 2025, with an additional 1-MW charger in 2026. The megawatt charger will provide DC ultra-fast charging for up to five trucks simultaneously, TA said.
The location will also act as an innovation site, allowing parent-company BP to test/demonstrate the effectiveness of new technologies, including deploying one of the first available megawatt charger systems; an integrated microgrid generating reliable, renewable power from 250 kW canopy-mounted solar panels; and a battery energy storage system for up to 1 megawatt hour of power.
[Related: Battery-electric development outpaced charging infrastructure deployment, says Volvo Trucks VP]
“This truck charging station is strategically located at the intersection of two of the nation’s busiest highway interstates and is a prime location to serve early-adopter electric truck fleet operators,” said Debi Boffa, TA CEO.
In 2021, TA, the California Energy Commission, and the Electric Power Research Institute started designs for building an electric truck charging station at TA Ontario. The project aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of public-access charging for battery-electric heavy-duty trucks, the company said.
Sujay Sharma, CEO of BP Pulse Americas, added the “project further demonstrates BP Pulse and TA’s commitment to support fleet customers and is just the beginning of our endeavors in truck charging to build fast and reliable charging infrastructure to support our EV drivers.”
TA said it’s also planning to develop projects at other Southern California locations, while also looking at developing other corridors in the U.S. to support demand for truck charging.
[Related: Zero emissions journey a quest 'of making the impossible possible']
Canadian Mack dealer opens new location
Longtime Mack Trucks dealer Vision Truck Group recently invested $20 million to open a new facility in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
The new facility, located at 167 Garden Ave., Brantford, opened April 15. Vision broke ground on the 52,000 square-foot facility March 1, 2023.
“Congratulations to Vision Truck Group for opening another location to better service and support Mack customers,” said Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America. “Vision’s investment in the construction of this state-of-the-art facility as well as the Mack brand is evidence that like Mack, Vision is committed to its customers.”
The Brantford site features 22 service bays and is a Mack Certified Uptime Dealer, meaning it received the accreditation because it has met stringent requirements to improve uptime for customers. Mack Certified Uptime Dealers feature “uptime bays” reserved specifically for trucks with service and repair needs requiring less than four hours of work. Customer vehicles needing a quick repair are rapidly diagnosed and returned to operation, improving dealership efficiency and customer ROI.
Vision’s Brantford location is a natural gas-certified facility, and the team is currently working toward becoming a Mack Certified Electric Vehicle Dealer. Vision will employ about 70 people at Brantford, building toward 40 technicians, with 12 being master techs. The Brantford site offers $2 million in parts inventory.
Vision Truck Group began in 1993, when John Slotegraaf Sr. acquired a dealership in Cambridge, Ontario. John Slotegraaf Jr. took over the business in 2008.
Along with Brantford and Cambridge, Vision has locations in Brampton, Etobicoke, Stoney Creek and London, Ontario. Vision also offers a body shop and parts distribution center at its Cambridge location.
