Memorandum of Understanding Signals to Freight Market That Utilities Are Allies: "We Can Unite," Says Aravind Kailas in TT Interview
PACT Collaborates with Utility Companies to Accelerate Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Development
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Partners Promote Strategies and Best Practices for Zero-Emission Freight Corridors
A Freightliner eCascadia charges at a station. (Daimler Truck North America)
On October 17, Powering America’s Commercial Transportation (PACT) and the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the widespread adoption of infrastructure needed for battery-electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
As an industry organization representing investor-owned electric utilities, EEI plans to collaborate with PACT, a lobbying coalition led by truck manufacturers, to accelerate grid readiness for electrifying medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Their collaboration also supports the Biden administration’s National Zero-Emission Freight Corridors strategy.
The partners plan to develop best practices for estimating when and where truck charging loads will occur, processes for utilities to support timely power supply, and state and local government policies that reduce planning costs and time.
“The partnership between PACT and EEI is a critical and much-needed step toward the future of zero-emission commercial vehicles,” said Aravind Kailas, Director of Advanced Technology Policy at Volvo Group North America.
Volvo was one of the founding members when PACT launched in January alongside Daimler Truck North America and Navistar Inc. (now known as International Motors). These three companies account for five out of the top seven 8-class truck brands sold in the U.S.
Daimler Truck, parent company to Freightliner and Western Star, and Volvo Group, which owns Volvo Trucks and Mack Trucks, are part of this alliance. International Motors is the parent company of International Trucks.
“Close collaboration between medium- and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers, truck fleets, charging infrastructure developers, and electric utilities is crucial for an economic energy transition in the trucking sector,” Kailas stated.
By May of this year, membership in the coalition had grown to 24 companies, including some of North America’s largest carriers such as Amazon.com Inc. and J.B. Hunt Transport Services.
Kailas told TT that the MOU sends a signal to the freight market that utilities are allies. “We can present a united front,” he said.
Since PACT’s launch, membership has tripled, consolidating a coherent message, Kailas added. As momentum builds within the coalition, more companies are prepared to join, and potential partners are increasingly likely to become allies.
Collaboration with the Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation has developed, and PACT was invited to provide feedback on plans for national zero-emission freight corridors, he said.
“Medium- and heavy-duty truck fleets represent a new customer base for U.S. electric utilities, and we are proud to work with PACT to seamlessly integrate them into the energy grid in an economically viable manner,” said Phil Dion, EEI’s Senior Vice President of Customer Solutions.
“Through collaboration, we believe both industries can accelerate the adoption of commercial electric vehicles and prepare for future transportation network energy needs,” he stated.
Executives from truck manufacturers are disappointed with the pace at which battery-electric trucks are being adopted and infrastructure development is progressing.
Meanwhile, carrier executives like Ryder System Inc. CEO Robert Sanchez and J.B. Hunt CEO Shelley Simpson have been candid about the challenges facing alternative fuel trucks.
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Source: Transport Topics
