(Credit: Scheider National)Schneider National has completed an electric charging depot at its South El Monte Intermodal Operations Center in Southern California, which will power the company's battery electric truck fleet, with nearly 100 Freightliner eCascadias expected by the end of the year.
The newly built charging site at South El Monte covers an area larger than half a football field and features 16 dual-corded dispensers capable of delivering 350 kilowatts each. This allows Schneider to simultaneously charge up to 32 trucks. The eCascadias, Schneider's electric trucks, can achieve an impressive 80% charge in just 90 minutes, ensuring efficient use of the fleet.
Already, Schneider has commenced hauling deliveries for Frito-Lay North America and Goodyear using the new eCascadia fleet. With a range of approximately 220 miles, the eCascadias offer reliable and eco-friendly transportation services.
Schneider's South El Monte facility is situated within the metro Los Angeles area and adjacent to major highways. Its proximity to a high concentration of customers within a 50-mile radius allows for streamlined operations.
The funding for the South El Monte site was made possible through the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative (JETSI), a project supported by state and local agencies to increase the number of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks on the roads. Schneider partnered with environmentally conscious companies like Black & Veatch, a clean transportation engineering and construction firm, to construct the site.
JETSI awarded Schneider $27 million in support, and additional funding was provided by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, the Port of Los Angeles, and Southern California Edison.
The U.S. logistics company's completion of the South El Monte facility, made possible with funding and grants, has the potential to eliminate over 81,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per day, equivalent to removing 2,400 gas-powered cars from the road. By deploying these zero-emission vehicles, Schneider National is actively working toward its goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 7.5% per mile by 2025 and achieving a 60% per mile reduction by 2035.
