Making Truck Stops into EV Charging Hubs Will Take Small-Town Levels of Power

A study carried out by the National Grid, a utility firm National Grid suggests that highway truck stops that are preparing for electric vehicles in the coming two decades might be requiring the same electricity as a small town could utilize.

Based on the present traffic patterns The study revealed that numerous highway charging stations (the equivalent of an highway gas station) will require at least 20 fast-chargers in order to meet the demand for EVs.

The study focused on 71 road locations located in New York and Massachusetts with the goal of coming up with ways for “future evidence” U.S. highways for the EV timeframe.

The study looked at the traffic patterns and anticipated charger usage at 71 highway locations across New York and Massachusetts and was deemed to be pertinent EV sales targets and deadlines in the scenario that all light-duty cars sold in the U.S. are electric by 2035 and all medium and heavy-duty vehicles are EVs in 2045. Consider the highway locations as an highway truck stop or a gas station. Based on the research over the next 10 years nearly a quarter sites that were studied will require at least 20 fast-chargers or the capability of a sports stadium in order to accommodate the demands during peak hours.

According to the research that in the next 10 years, the study predicts that more than one quarter of the sites examined are expected to require similar power as an outdoor sporting stadium to satisfy charging demands while some require the same amount of power as a small city within the next 20 years. The study suggests connecting to the current high-voltage electrical grid in order to “future-proof” high-traffic areas along the highway. In addition, the study points out that these transmission lines tend to mirror highways.

The equivalent of a small town

The sites that act as electrified truck stops may use the amount of power to run the town of a tiny size. The size and weight are particularly crucial for electric vehicles. For instance, the nearly 11,000-pound GMC Hummer EV, with its 2923-pound battery. It required an 45 minutes and an hour to charge from 10 to 90 % level of battery charge. In contrast the 4800-pound Taycan that has an input of less peak power than the Hummer and can charge between 5 and 80 percent charge in just 23 minutes. It’s not difficult to imagine how parking lots brimming with electric semi-trucks, each towing 40 tons of cargo requires a large power output.

“No Regrets”

Moving our infrastructure for highways is not possible, and will be done in a single day. Out of the five billion that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of last year’s budget, only the initial $900 million is approved for electric vehicle chargers that be used on 53,000 miles of roads across the nation.

In its report on this study National Grid says a objective is to determine how to implement “no regrets” improvements in “no-regrets” sites–“so it is possible to create grid infrastructure one time and do it the right way.” It’s like an understatement company claims that the process of building high-voltage interconnections on highways “can take yearsto complete,” that’s one of the main points of the study, which urges the industry to prepare to do it in the near future. There is one thing that is sure: the road landscape will be different and significantly more electrified, between 10 and 20 years in the future.