Harbor Trucking Association and Forum Mobility say battery charging infrastructure key to zero emission trucking

Matt Schrap, CEO Harbor Trucking Association (HTA) and Matt LeDuq, CEO Forum Mobility, which is developing truck charging stations, both agreed that truck charging infrastructure is a key element in supporting zero emission trucking in California and should have been prioritized by new California’s Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations.

On September 17^th, Schrap and LeDuq told the Propeller Club of Northern California that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) should have emphasized the development of truck charging infrastructure in advance of adopting its Advanced Clean Fleet regulations related to zero emission trucks.

Advanced Clean Fleet Regulation

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reported that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) “has notified the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it has adopted Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulations, applicable to affected state and local government fleets, drayage truck fleets, federal agency fleets, and large commercial fleets that own, lease, or operate on-road medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, and light-duty package delivery vehicles, to incorporate zero-emitting vehicles beginning in 2024. The ACF regulations also require that all new California-certified medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales be zero-emitting vehicles starting in 2036. Elements of the ACF regulation apply to off-road engines and equipment, specifically off-road yard tractors. By letter dated November 15, 2023, CARB submitted a request that EPA grant a waiver of preemption under section 209(b) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the ACF on-road regulations.”

California Air Resources Board Is Criticized

At the Propeller Club, Schrap criticized CARB, especially about the Advanced Clean Fleets rule and the lack of truck charging: “There's not enough charging infrastructure or hydrogen fueling infrastructure to justify the timelines. And the rule and the feedback from the State of California is like ‘if you regulate it, it will come’ … And the rule and the feedback from the State of California is like ‘if you regulate it, it will come’ … The Advanced Clean Fleets rule is Ill-conceived beyond ill-conceived for drayage … Ingress and egress as truckers are controlled by the terminals (at California ports). So, they can red light you at the terminal and not allow you to pick up your box if you're not in compliance with the statewide rules, which is what the mechanism that the State of California looked at to be the enforcement arm of the drayage provision. There is no phase in percentage … or any flexibility opportunities under the ACF as it currently exists. It's a very difficult proposition to think about as a drayage carrier.”

However, Schrap has welcomed the participation of Matt LeDuq and Forum Mobility into the Harbor Trucking Association: “We need to have this dialogue, honest dialogue. So, I'm glad that we can sit here today because Matt (LeDuq) (has) been around the space for quite some time, and they have some great perspective because they're actually doing something. They're putting equipment in the ground; they have customers who are running the trucks. This isn't a song and a prayer that … he's out there doing. There's this real-world experience. So, we need to take that and create this dialogue so we can have honest conversations. The problem with the ACF, as Matt alluded to, is they are just getting around to all this stuff, even to assessing how much infrastructure is even needed in the first place. How much turnover can they be expecting? What type of additional megawatts, you know, hundreds of megawatts are going to be needed?”

LeDuq echoed Schrap’s criticism of the California Air Resources Board: “I wish CARB would talk to us too, for what it's worth. And if you think that there're shutting out the voice of HTA, we can't get on their calendar either, which I think is one of the frustrations that everybody has … I think that there is a lot of stuff about ACF that's possible. I think that ACF was an overreach. And I think that our business is going to be just fine over time. I think that having it (ACF) be enforced January 1st of this year … was absurd. I think that there's ways that they could have incentivized infrastructure to be proactively built. I wish CARB was more receptive to both of us… I think Matt and I agree about one thing: this is going to happen over time, this will happen, it isn't going to stop. But how could it be implemented in a way that is not just environmentally good, but like equitable for large fleets, small fleets, mid-size fleets and everybody, because … that is also sustainable. Sustainable is economic and environmental. And I think that sometimes they leave out the economic part.”

Forum Mobility’s Vision

Matt LeDuq hoped that new CARB regulations would provide an opportunity for Forum Mobility to build battery charging stations for zero emission trucks at California ports: “California was going mandate electrification and transportation, and it looked like a really good asset class because we looked at the heavy-duty trucking market. I looked at it and thought, well, there's going to be a need … to do something in terms of the charging infrastructure. And charging infrastructure is a potentially incredible asset class where many, many billions of dollars could be deployed … When we started the company, we chose to focus on drayage … We have got a fleet of trucks on the road and down in Long Beach. They have just got about 300,000 miles on them. We have a (charging) facility at the Port of Long Beach, which will be the most powerful charging facility out of (a) port in the country. It will be online in the next few weeks. We have got a facility here at the Port of Oakland with our partners. We have got a facility in development with the Port of Seattle, and we are using the port facilities as kind of a beachhead for the business. It has been interesting. I am proud to say we were the first zero admission member of the HTA … Our goal at Forum Mobility … is to be a service provider to provide charging hubs … and charge fifty to a hundred trucks at a time. And we also lease trucks”

Affordability Challenge for Harbor Truckers

Schrap said the issue of affordability continues to be a major stumbling block for truckers seeking to make the transition to zero emission trucks: “Batteries are heavy. Until we get better chemistry, they're just heavy. The more you need … the less weight you can carry ... And then sprinkling the cost (per truck) on top can be challenging and daunting for small fleets.”

Toyota Solid State Batteries Could Be a Game-Changer

One development that may have an impact on the future of electric trucking is that Toyota is developing a next-generation solid-state battery that will have a range of 900 miles per charge and is projected to be in commercial development by 2027-2028, according to a Toyota spokesperson.

The Toyota spokesperson told AJOT: “The solid-state batteries are less dense, making them … lighter than lithium-ion batteries, they will not have any flammable components, they can be charged faster and vehicles with solid-state batteries are estimated to have a projected range of around 1,475 kilometers (917 miles).”

At the Propeller Club, LeDuq and Schrap were asked about whether the new technology could be a game changer. Both agreed the new technology could be.

LeDuq noted: “A 900 mile per charge … battery ... could be either fast or slow charge and would be a game changer … for us … what we want to be able to do is deploy a ton of it and make it a lower cost per mile than running a diesel truck. So, whether it is a moderately efficient, very cheap battery, or a very efficient battery … at the end of the day, all I care about is being able to offer a highly reliable value proposition that beats the cost of the incumbent that I can stand behind. And so … I hope … (Toyota) make a lot of them.”

HTA’s Matt Schrap’s agreed with LeDuq about the potential for a solid-state battery, with a 900 mile per charge, being a game changer: “Yes, I agree.”