WattEV readies electric truck facility in California
WattEV, the Californian specialist for truck charging stations, has ordered 14 Nikola Tre BEVs. WattEV will provide the corresponding charging infrastructure at the Californian port of Long Beach.
++ This article has been updated; please continue reading below. ++
In addition to building the charging infrastructure, WattEV acts as a trucks-as-a-service or TaaS provider. This means the company lends the vehicles to shippers and fleet operators committed to complying with California’s zero-emission regulations.
WattEV plans to open the first of four designed truck charging parks as early as this month. These are strategically located near the 710 and 110 freeways leading to the port. The Nikola trucks will be charged there daily. The battery-electric Tre is designed for local use and has a range of 350 miles (563 kilometres).
“We have been running a pilot test with Nikola battery-electric trucks for the past six months and are quite satisfied with the energy efficiency of the trucks and the ongoing technical support,” says WattEV CEO Salim Youssefzadeh.
The announcement does not say when exactly the vehicles will be delivered. The companies only announced the “upcoming sale and delivery”.
Update 10 May 2023
WattEV has completed the construction of its largest public truck charging station at the Port of Long Beach (POLB). The facility, set to open in mid-May, consists of 26 charging stations designed to serve heavy-duty electric trucks connecting to inland destinations throughout Southern California. According to the company, the station will be the largest of its kind in the US.
On opening, WattEV’s POLB charging plaza will feature 26 charging bays using Combined Charging System (CCS) connectors to provide power at up to 360 kilowatts.
WattEV’s facility will support the first batch of 14 Nikola electric trucks, as mentioned above. The fleet is expected to expand to over 100 electric trucks by the end of 2023, with the opening of additional charging depots in Southern California.
Salim Youssefzadeh, Chief Executive Officer of WattEV, said the POLB charging depot is in addition to planned openings in warehouse districts in nearby Gardena and inland near San Bernardino.
The truck charging plaza’s public opening will follow the VOLTS conference from 9 – 10 May in Long Beach, sponsored by the California Energy Commission and hosted by Charging Interface Initiative North America (CharIN Inc.).
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