A new coalition, Powering America’s Commercial Transportation (PACT), has launched to promote and advocate for education on the construction of nationwide infrastructure for medium and heavy-duty (M/HD) zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). This coalition aims to overcome the many barriers delaying access to ZEV infrastructure and enhance national climate policies to address the infrastructure needs of M/HD ZEVs.
PACT is established by Daimler, Navistar, and Volvo, who collectively represent approximately 70% of all new M/HD truck sales in the US. Each original equipment manufacturer (OEM) has battery-electric vehicles in the marketplace, but access to charging infrastructure is an increasingly significant bottleneck to the widespread adoption of these technologies.
Coalition membership is open to all stakeholders with an interest in accelerating the deployment of zero-emission commercial vehicles and the requisite infrastructure, including other OEMs, infrastructure developers, electric utilities, grid operators, and others.
“Decarbonizing the commercial transportation sector 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 CEO of Daimler. “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.”
In the US, transportation electrification has largely focused on the needs of light-duty passenger vehicles, a far different market segment that does not require the same unique considerations as M/HDs. According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, nearly 600,000 chargers will support a projected 1.1 million class 4-8 M/HD ZEVs anticipated to be deployed by 2030, which will consume 140,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per day or the equivalent of the daily energy used by 4.9 million American homes.
“Commercial vehicle customers require fast, reliable, affordable, and convenient power to effectively deploy ZEV fleets at scale,” said Mathias Carlbaum, president and CEO 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 and truly working to accelerate the impact of sustainable mobility.”
While supporting the deployment of commercial ZEV infrastructure, PACT will not advocate for specific vehicles, power generation, or utility distribution technologies: PACT exists to educate stakeholders about infrastructure challenges that hamper M/HD ZEV adoption in the marketplace and work with stakeholders to find solutions for the benefit of all interested parties.
“The scale of infrastructure required for medium- and heavy-duty EV adoption is unprecedented,” said Stephen Roy, chairman of Volvo and president of Mack Trucks. “Understanding and coordination across the different stakeholders is imperative to deploy chargers quickly and cost-effectively. PACT will promote best practices to streamline this complex transition while minimizing impacts on fleets, utilities, and the economy.”
Filed Under: Electrification, Technology News