First Heavy-duty Electric Truck Charging Site Opens In Oregon

The charging station will allow both Portland General Electric and Daimler to study energy management, charger use and performance, and Daimler vehicles charging performance.

First announced in December 2020, “Electric Island” in Portland, Oregon represents the first location specifically designed for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and has eight vehicle charging stations for electric cars, buses, box vans and semi-trucks.

In collaboration with the West Coast Clean Transit Corridor Initiative (WCCTCI), with nine electric utilities and two government agencies, this is a part of the plan to electrify 1,300 miles of I-5 across the three West Coast states to provide publicly available charging for freight and delivery trucks.

Additional plans include on-site energy storage, solar power generation, and a product and technology showcase building.  Electric Island aims to address the intersection of vehicles and the grid, creating new opportunities for future EV drivers and utility customers.

“In Oregon, we are committed to taking action to address climate change, and we know that the future of transportation is electric. Today, the charging station at Electric Island, the first known freight charging station on the I-5 corridor, shows that Oregon is the ideal place to innovate and develop 21st-Century transportation infrastructure,” said Oregon Governor Kate Brown. “Thanks to the partnership of Portland General Electric and Daimler Trucks North America, we are working together towards our goal of creating a West Coast Electric Highway.”

Read more: Electric and autonomous semi-trucks beyond 2020

Charging site will eventually achieve five Megawatts of power

Currently the highest power unit installed at the Swan Island charging site is 150 Kilowatts, but it can go up to 350 kilowatts.

To compare, Tesla Superchargers can deliver 72 kilowatts of power, even if another Tesla begins charging in an adjacent stall, with an average Supercharging session lasting around 45-50 minutes in city centers.

The station will eventually bring five megawatts of power from the grid with both 400-Volt and 800-Volt charging available, and some of the units will go to 1,000 volts.

Nate Hill, head of charging infrastructure for Daimler, said “this level of charging capability will be necessary to recharge the larger battery packs that are planned to power Daimler’s new line of Class 6/7 and Class 8 semi-trucks that will be produced here in Portland.”

Daimler plans to begin production of the eCascadia semi-truck in late 2022, and the eM2 box truck about six months later in 2023. With a range of 230-250 miles on a charge, both models are designed for urban and regional use, rather than cross-country applications.

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