Penske Truck Leasing has opened a fast charging station with 14 high-speed chargers for heavy-duty commercial electric vehicles at four facilities in Southern California.
The company is also planning to add six more chargers, which will make a total of 20. Penske claims that they are the first direct current (DC) fast-charging stations in the US. And they will especially use for heavy-duty commercial electric vehicles like semi trucks, delivery trucks.
“We’re committed to being at the forefront of commercial vehicle electrification,” said Brian Hard, President, and CEO of Penske Truck Leasing. “We are investing to ensure our customers have access to the right vehicles, technology, charging infrastructure and information to help shape the future of mobility in our industry.”
For demonstration, they charged a Daimler Trucks North America’s electric Class 8 Freightliner eCascadia semi-truck.
The station is located throughout Southern California at Penske’s facilities in Anaheim, Chino, La Mirada, and San Diego. The new chargers connect directly to a commercial truck’s battery charging system, providing a DC fast-charging option for commercial electric fleets.
Moreover, it employs 50 kW to 150 kW chargers and the charging infrastructure allows Penske to power an all-electric Class 8 tractor from zero to 100 percent charge in less than half a shift.
“We are proud to provide our customers with the ability to quickly and conveniently charge their electric truck fleets at these locations,” said Andrew Cullen, Penske Truck Leasing‘s senior vice president of fuels and facilities. “We’ll continue to add new locations and charging infrastructure to support our customers as our electric fleet continues to grow and the demand for commercial electric vehicles gains momentum.”
Previously, the company announced the addition of light-duty, medium-duty and heavy-duty commercial electric trucks to its fleets.
Networks of high-speed charging stations, like Penske’s, could help speed up the adoption of electric semis.
