The Official Blog of Penske Transportation Solutions

heavy-duty electric vehicle charging station

During the month of September, Mike Barnes, senior manager of regional facilities for Penske Transportation Solutions, will discuss his work with the company's heavy-duty electric vehicle charging station infrastructure, as part of a pair of Gladstein, Neandross & Associates (GNA) online events. Barnes is based in Phoenix.

September 10: GNA's Advanced Clean Tech News is hosting a webinar, Get Ready to Charge: Designing and Installing Charging Stations that Support Medium- and Heavy-Duty EVs. Representatives from Southern California Edison, the Electrification Coalition and GNA will join Barnes on the panel. Click here to register.

September 22: Barnes will take part in this ACT Virtual (Advanced Clean Transportation) event entitled, Best Practices in Scaling EV infrastructure for Fleet Operations. Also speaking alongside Barnes are experts from the Electrification Coalition, Greenlots and PACCAR. Access additional information here.

The Penske-sponsored State of Sustainable Fleets Report, which includes a section on battery electric vehicles, can be downloaded here at no cost.

By "Move Ahead" Staff

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Black Horse Carriers has joined Penske Truck Leasing's electric vehicle program. The companies have come together to launch a battery electric Freightliner eCascadia into the Black Horse Carriers regular operation. The dedicated fleet services company uses the Penske maintained EV truck throughout Southern California to deliver product to 78 stores for a major grocery chain.

"We are rolling these electric units out to customers more quickly and efficiently now that we have some experience under our belts," said Paul Rosa, senior vice president of procurement and fleet planning at Penske Truck Leasing. "Our mission is to continue to put these innovative units in the hands of customers who have the right use cases, so we can learn together and continue to promote sustainability in the form of electrification."

The electric truck runs six days a week with four delivery points per day. Integration into the fleet was seamless and feedback from drivers has been positive, as these tractors are extremely quiet, yet incredibly powerful.

"We're excited to add electric vehicles to our fleet," said Brad Kacsh, fleet manager at Black Horse Carriers. "Whether it's the latest safety technology, improving the driver experience, or reducing our carbon footprint, building an innovative fleet is part of the Black Horse culture. We're thrilled to be running this tractor and the feedback from our field has been excellent."

In 2018, Penske Truck Leasing and Daimler Trucks North America announced a partnership to test commercial electric trucks from their Freightliner brand in real-world situations and drive future improvements to the technology. In August 2019, Penske received the first eCascadia from the truck manufacturer. Just a few months later, Penske announced that it hit the 10,000 mile mark with the first eCascadia the company deployed.

The venture is supported by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), whose $16.8 million grant helped fund the program. South Coast AQMD focuses on improving air quality in large portions of Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including the Coachella Valley.

The electric truck fleet is supported by a network of heavy-duty electric vehicle charging stations at six Penske Truck Leasing facilities in Southern California. Penske also performs preventive maintenance at these locations.

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Penske Truck Leasing continues to progress and drive key learnings in commercial electric vehicle advancement with the official opening of its sixth heavy-duty electric vehicle charging station in Southern, California. Penske's latest EV charging station in Ontario, California, is equipped with an innovative battery energy storage system, manufactured by Fluence Energy, LLC, a Siemens and AES Company, which is designed to offset demand on the electricity grid during peak charging times.

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Penske Logistics today announced that it has successfully logged more than 10,000 over-the-road miles making multiple, daily store deliveries on dedicated routes in Southern California for a leading quick service restaurant chain using two, electric Freightliner Innovation Fleet eCascadias. The company believes it is the first truck fleet operator in the United States to achieve such a feat.

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Penske Truck Leasing is growing its electric vehicle fleet with the addition of the Kalmar Ottawa Electric Terminal Tractor (T2E). The introduction of these new all-electric commercial vehicles into Penske’s fleet is another in a series of recent moves the company has undertaken to test and showcase innovative electric vehicles and help bring them to market.

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Delivering on its commitment to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure at its facilities, Penske Truck Leasing has opened commercial heavy-duty electric vehicle charging stations with 14 high-speed chargers at four of its existing facilities in Southern California. The company's near term plan includes adding at least six more chargers, bringing the total number to 20. Penske believes these are the first DC fast charging stations in the U.S. designed specifically for heavy-duty commercial electric vehicles.

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