Powering America’s Commercial Transportation (PACT) is a new coalition, formed to accelerate the development of infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). The companies say that this initiative is a response to the need for adequate charging infrastructure.
PACT is a collaborative effort from a list of companies in the transportation and energy sectors, including:
- Daimler Truck North America
- Navistar, Inc.
- Volvo Group North America
- ABB E-mobility
- Burns & McDonnell
- Greenlane
- J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.
- Prologis Inc.
- Voltera
The International Council on Clean Transportation estimates that nearly 700,000 chargers will be needed nationwide to accommodate the one million Class 4-8 M/HD ZEVs anticipated to be deployed by 2030, which will consume 140,000 megawatts of electricity every day, equivalent to the monthly energy needs of over 100 million American homes. PACT says that the U.S. EV market largely focuses on the charging needs of light-duty passenger vehicles, which hampers the widespread adoption of commercial battery-electric vehicles that OEMs already produce. Quickly deploying reliable and accessible ZEV infrastructure to for the nation’s medium- and heavy-duty commercial fleets requires distinct considerations for capital investment, electrical grid upgrades and dedicated charging equipment, according to PACT.
“Decarbonizing the commercial transportation sector—the fleets that keep America moving—is critical to meeting our nation’s climate goals. But the transition to zero-emission vehicles is stalling without the deployment of the needed charging infrastructure,” said John O’Leary, president and chief executive officer of Daimler Truck North America. “Through PACT, we aim to accelerate this infrastructure buildout so that fleets can adopt ZEVs at scale and we can all benefit from impactful emissions reductions as quickly as possible.”
“Commercial vehicle customers require fast, reliable, affordable, and convenient power to effectively deploy ZEV fleets at scale,” said Mathias Carlbaum, president and chief executive officer of Navistar. “To enable their success, we must work collaboratively across sectors to deliver an infrastructure that provides access to seamless electricity and meets the commercial transportation industry’s unique needs. PACT provides a concerted forum dedicated to making this vision a reality; truly working to accelerate the impact of sustainable mobility.”
“The scale of infrastructure required for medium- and heavy-duty EV adoption is unprecedented. Understanding and coordination across the different stakeholders is imperative to deploy chargers quickly and cost-effectively,” said Stephen Roy, chairman of Volvo Group North America and president of Mack Trucks. “PACT will promote best practices to streamline this complex transition while minimizing impacts on fleets, utilities, and the economy.”
While supporting the deployment of commercial ZEV infrastructure, PACT says that it will not advocate for specific vehicle, power generation, or utility distribution technologies, instead educating stakeholders about infrastructure challenges and working to find practical and efficient infrastructure solutions capable of supporting increasing M/HD ZEV deployments.
