Supporting the On-Road Freight Electrification Transition

Public Sector Investments and Implementing State Strategies to Speed Deployment

The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) is working with State Energy Offices and other policymakers across the country to strategically plan for on-road freight electrification investments. This effort builds on existing transportation electrification activities to support dialogues with key players such as policymakers, utilities, on-road freight operators, and infrastructure providers, to explore options for addressing barriers to on-road freight electrification and transportation electrification broadly. NASEO is working with several jurisdictions to develop action plans outlining steps to enable on-road freight electrification while supporting the greater transportation and energy systems, all while engaging state and private sector partners to guide the initiative.

 

This work is informed by the NASEO On-Road Freight Electrification Advisory Group comprised of representatives from leading and key states, freight vehicle OEMs, charging station providers, utilities, leading researchers, fleets, and others, that will inform the project direction, and support dissemination and replication nationwide. 

  • NASEO On-Road Freight Electrification Advisory Group

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    This work is informed by the NASEO On-Road Freight Electrification Advisory Group comprised of representatives from leading and key states, freight vehicle OEMs, charging station providers, utilities, leading researchers, fleets, and others, that will inform the project direction, and support dissemination and replication nationwide. The Advisory Group meets virtually on a quarterly basis to identify the barriers as well as policy and programmatic tools to enable nationwide on-road freight electrification investments. State Energy Officials interested in participating can reach out to Jessie Lund, jlund@naseo.org for more information. 

    On-Road Freight Electrification Advisory Group members:

    • California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
    • CALSTART
    • Coalition for Americas Gateway and Trade Corridors (CAGTC)
    • Colorado Energy Office
    • Edison Electric Institute (EEI) 
    • Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
    • Electrification Coalition
    • International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)
    • Kittelson & Associates
    • National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)
    • National Grid
    • National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
    • New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
    • Northeast States for Coordinate Air Use Management (NESCAUM)
    • Oak Ridge National Lab
    • PITT Ohio
    • Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation  
    • Tennessee Valley Authority 
    • Terawatt 
    • Tesla
    • Trillium, member of the Love's Family of Companies
    • TruCurrent
    • Voltera 
  • Virtual Discussion Series

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    Analyzing Challenges, Leveraging Public Dollars, and Coalition-Building Along Key Corridors

    NASEO is engaging experts in the transportation electrification field to provide foundational knowledge to state policymakers on transportation electrification and offer policy and program tools to support the transition to an electrified passenger and vehicle fleet, with a focus on freight electrification. NASEO is hosting a virtual discussion series to explore several key questions including:

    • Where and how many freight charging hubs are needed in the next 5-10 years?
    • What are the anticipated electric system needs, timelines, and costs for ensuring adequate electric service to freight charging hubs, and what are potential solutions?
    • How can states advance-plan for public freight charging at NEVI sites and other publicly-funded charging locations?
    • How can public funding be leveraged to further spur additional private sector investment?

    Virtual Discussion Series:

    1. Planning for Freight Electrification - November 15, 2023

    Description: To harness the energy, economic development, and air quality benefits of transitioning to electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs), particularly freight vehicles, states across the country are adopting Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rules, with some committing to achieve 100 percent sales of electric trucks by 2050. In addition, funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are available to support charging station investments, fleet replacements, grid upgrades, and workforce development needs related to transportation electrification. To support states in their goals to electrify MHDVs, NASEO is engaging leaders in the field to better understand the impacts of freight electrification, and identify planning, program, and policy options for states to enable the transition to an electric fleet. This webinar will feature presentations from experts highlighting priority locations for freight electrification and the electrical infrastructure needed to support charging for medium- and heavy-duty EVs, explore current freight electrification planning initiatives underway, and will announce a new initiative from NASEO to support states as they plan for electric freight investments. Recording available here.

    Speakers:

    • Charlotte Fagan, Principal Analyst, Clean Energy Development, National Grid
    • Jordan Stutt, Senior Director, Northeast Region, CALSTART
    • Ray Minjares, Director, Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program, The International Council on Clean Transportation
    • Policy Options for States - April 17, 2024

    Description: State Energy Offices, State Environmental Agencies, and other state policymakers play a key role in advising policies and programs to advance freight electrification and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) adoption. States across the country are taking a variety of approaches to accelerate zero-emission vehicle adoption in the light-, medium-, and heavy-duty sectors, such as the Advanced Clean Cars (ACC) and Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rules, Heavy-Duty Omnibus rules, and other market-driven mechanisms. Jeremy Hunt, Policy Advisor at the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) will discuss how ACC and ACT drive ZEV adoption and decrease emissions, as well as the role complementary vehicle and charging incentives play in advancing transportation electrification in the freight sector. Stacey Simms, Senior Director of Clean Fuels and Infrastructure at CALSTART will discuss how state agencies, utilities, fleet operators, automakers, and charging infrastructure providers can coordinate to advance freight electrification in states that are taking a more market-driven approach, as well as in states that have implemented ACC and ACT rules. The webinar will be recorded and available for those that are unable to attend. Recording available here

    Speakers:

    • Jeremy Hunt, Policy Advisor, NESCAUM
    • Stacey Simms, Sr. Director of Clean Fuels & Infrastructure, CALSTART
    • Anticipating and Preparing for new Electricity Demand from Freight Electrification - June 3, 2024

    Description: Freight electrification will create significant new demand for electricity as a "fuel" across the country. How can states estimate and help utilities prepare for this new demand - which may be more spatially concentrated than light-duty passenger EVs - to help ensure that electricity and grid capacity aren't bottlenecks to charging infrastructure deployments? What data is currently available to states, and what tools are available to support analyses? Furthermore, how can states and utilities work together to ensure that they're preparing accordingly for this new load?

    Join NASEO to hear from leading experts on this topic. Matt Bruchon will share NREL's Depot-Based Vehicle Data for National Analysis of Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle Charging, which can be used to inform research, infrastructure planning, and policymaking regarding the electrification of freight vehicles. Britta Gross will provide an overview of EPRI's EVs2Scale2030 initiative, which leverages industry partnerships to support the rapid deployment of millions of EVs while minimizing grid impacts and enabling critical benefits to the nation’s grid. Britta will also provide a demo of the eRoadMAP tool and a sneak peek of the GridFAST platform. Next, Caitlin Odom will provide an overview of RMI's GridUp tool and how it can be used to inform proactive grid infrastructure planning and help utilities and other stakeholders determine when, where, and in what quantities energy and power demands will materialize from vehicle electrification. Finally, Zeryai Hagos will share an update on the New York Public Service Commission's proceeding examining the needs of medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) electric vehicles and proactive planning approaches to prepare the grid. Recording available here

    Speakers:

    • Matt Bruchon, Researcher - Data Science, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 
    • Britta Gross, Director of Transportation, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) 
    • Caitlin Odom, Manager, Carbon Free Electricity & Transportation, RMI 
    • Zeryai Hagos, Deputy Director, Office of Markets and Innovation, New York Department of Public Service 

    Upcoming Webinars

    •  Additional webinars are being planned for this discussion series. Please check back soon for more information.

     

  • State Action Planning

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    NASEO is providing technical assistance to the Colorado, Missouri, and Tennessee Energy Offices to develop and/or update action plans for freight electrification and infrastructure buildout at high-priority locations across the state. For more information, please see the summer 2024 announcement.

    NASEO is also developing replicable resources that any state can use to advance freight electrification. More information will be available as these resources are developed. Please check back soon.

    Please reach out to Jessie Lund (jlund@naseo.org) with any questions.