As the demand for clean fleets rises, driven by supportive policies and mandates, the transition to electrified fleets is placing pressure on local distribution grids. A single large depot or truck stop may require more than 20 MW of power, equivalent to the power demand of a large factory. Charging demand for electrified fleets is highly concentrated in logistics centers, depots, and port facilities.
To accommodate these increased power loads, upgrades to grid infrastructure, such as new transformers, feeders, and sometimes entirely new substations, are necessary. However, distribution planning and implementing these upgrades takes time. Without proactive measures by utilities to ensure sufficient infrastructure, the electrification of fleets may face delays, slowing down the deployment of charging infrastructure and reducing the rate of electric vehicle adoption.
ACEEE provides one-on-one technical assistance to utilities and their regulators on the following topics:
- Compiling best practices for working with customers to assess fleets’ short-, medium-, and long-term power needs, including fleet assessment programs and integrating fleet data.
- Advising on community engagement as part of grid planning for new and expanded substations. Many of the new substations required for fleet electrification of truck and bus fleets will be in or bordering low- and moderate-income communities.
- Assessing the process for applying for and gaining approval for “make-ready” utility upgrades.
- Comparing the effectiveness of different types of subsidies and rebates for charging infrastructure installation costs.
- Providing feedback on utility medium- and heavy-duty program proposals.
- Developing lessons learned from utility program strategies to address demand management, such as offering battery energy storage, off-peak rates, and other EV rate design recommendations.
- Producing customized briefing documents on charging and load management fleet technologies such as vehicle-to-grid (V2G).
Sustainable Freight
ACEEE advances freight transportation efficiency by investigating technologies that reduce the fuel consumption of trucks and other freight vehicles. We also study opportunities to enhance the energy efficiency of the freight network through system-level improvements. ACEEE supports the expansion of freight systems that permit goods to travel by the most efficient mode or combination of modes, minimizing fuel use, GHG and other harmful emissions, and highway congestion.
ACEEE aims to bridge the gap between emerging technologies and practical implementation by providing data-driven analysis and strategic support. Whether influencing national freight policies or guiding state-level investment in electrification infrastructure, ACEEE aims to advance a cleaner, more sustainable U.S. freight transportation system.
Regional and long-haul freight electrification
Regional and long-haul trucks represent 9% of the total commercial fleet, a combined 43% of total annual commercial vehicle miles traveled, and 51% of total commercial vehicle carbon emissions. The daily travel distances, as well as operational and logistical considerations around payload capacity, range, and charging times, make electrifying regional and long-haul freight particularly challenging.
The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation released the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy in March 2024. The strategy represents an all-of-government, technology-neutral approach to deploying infrastructure to support zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in key markets and along critical freight corridors.
By designating investment zones while remaining technology-neutral, the strategy allows state and local governments to either pick their favored technology or attempt to build multiple systems, leading to a patchwork approach and/or redundant systems and infrastructure overspend. To empower federal, state, and regional decision-makers with the knowledge they need to make informed investments in sustainable freight infrastructure, ACEEE is conducting comparative economic and financial analyses of hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric truck infrastructure alongside strategic outreach and policy integration.
Port electrification
As hubs of freight activity, ports are significant energy consumers, coordinating the operation of up to 15 vessels, 20,000 trucks, 2,000 pieces of cargo-handling equipment, and dozens of rail movements daily. The impact of port operations extends well beyond the footprint of port property into the industrial and warehouse zones that serve the drayage trucks that make multiple trips per day to move freight inland.
ACEEE aims to identify opportunities for improved demand planning as ports electrify. Understanding short-, medium-, and long-term power needs at ports ensures grid capacity does not limit transition timelines. Faster transition timelines mean cleaner air for the disadvantaged populations who often live in the area surrounding ports and are affected by the pollution caused by port operations. Facilitating demand flexibility in port districts reduces strain on the grid, enables a cleaner and more reliable energy system, and reduces the costs of meeting the increasing power demands of electrifying ports.
Freight Digitization
Optimizing the movement of goods through information and communications technology (ICT) can help achieve substantial emissions reductions from freight transportation. Better use of data allows shippers, carriers, and freight brokers to coordinate shipments, which can save energy and reduce emissions. This can lead to a mode shift, moving mileage from higher-emitting freight transportation to lower-emitting forms, such as by train or vessel.
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