More megawatt charging comes to California
The Bakersfield depot has 16 fast chargers connected to the grid, with two plugs that deliver up to 360 kW. WattEV also installed 15 single-cord 240kW CCS chargers and three MCS 1,200kW ultra-rapid chargers, drawing power from the site’s solar array. According to WattEV CEO Salim Youssefzadeh, the MCS chargers will significantly reduce truck charging “dwell time” from hours to less than 30 minutes.
The 119-acre site is designed, owned, and operated by WattEV and branded accordingly. Located near busy highways CA-99 and CA-65, it connects the San Joaquin Valley’s agricultural sector and warehousing complexes to California’s seaports and inland destinations. More depots are planned in Fresno, Stockton, and Oakland.
Truck drivers may also find amenities like restrooms and a commercial centre with lease space for food and merchandise vendors.
WattEV received around $5 million in grant funding from the California Energy Commission to build the Bakersfield charging depot, with future support from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to expand the capacity.
“We appreciate the leadership of WattEV in helping to move forward nation-leading efforts to deploy the next generation of zero-emissions freight infrastructure in the San Joaquin Valley,” stated Samir Sheikh, Executive Director and Air Pollution Control Officer for the Valley Air District.
It is the third electric truck charging depot WattEV has opened in California, adding to the Port of Long Beach station that started operation in July 2023. Other open locations include San Bernardino and Gardena. All future WattEV depots will include MCS charging.
The company also offers an electric Truck-as-a-Service (TaaS) model that provides fleets or individual operators with access to Class 8 battery-electric trucks, maintenance support, insurance, and charging across WattEV’s network, all at a total cost of operation that is on par with diesel trucks.
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