Portland General Electric and Daimler Trucks North America have announced the co-development of “Electric Island,” a large public charging site for medium- and heavy-duty electric commercial vehicles expected to be the first of its kind in the United States.
Electric Island will help accelerate the development, testing and deployment of zero-emissions (tank-to-wheel) commercial vehicles, DTNA says.
The site is under construction now near DTNA headquarters in Portland and is designed to support up to nine vehicle charging stations with charging levels of up to greater than one megawatt by spring of 2021. Electric Island will provide DTNA, PGE and the public the opportunity to charge light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles. Plans for more chargers, on-site energy storage, solar power generation, and a product and technology showcase building are currently being finalized, DTNA says.
Electric Island aims to address the intersection of vehicles and the grid, creating new opportunities for future EV drivers and utility customers. The company adds that the site will be greenhouse gas emissions-free, including all vehicle charging.
“In cooperation with PGE, and with the plan to expand electric vehicle charging right here in Portland to support not only our EV charging needs, but those of other drivers in the area, we are paving the way to a brighter, cleaner CO₂-neutral future,” Roger Nielsen, president and CEO of DTNA, said.
DTNA says the project will inform each company’s efforts by studying the future of heavy-duty charging, including:
- Use of vehicle chargers featuring power delivery of up to over one megawatt (more than four times faster than today’s fastest light-duty vehicle chargers), enabling PGE and DTNA to develop best practices for cost-effective future deployments;
- Integration of heavy-duty charging technology into PGE’s Smart Grid, such as vehicle-to-grid technologies, second-life use of Daimler’s battery packs, and on-site energy generation; and
- Testing information technology opportunities like fleet and energy management by captive solutions and services.
