Daimler Trucks North America & Portland General Electric To Build Large, Public Charging Facility For Electric Vehicles

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Daimler Trucks North America has partnered with Portland General Electric to build a public charging site for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty electric vehicles. (Photo courtesy of Daimler Trucks North America.)

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) recently announced that its working with Portland General Electric (PGE) to build a charging site that will be open to the public and support charging for light-, medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks. DTNA says the site, called the “Electric Island,” will be the first of its kind in the United States and is designed to speed up the process of transitioning to zero-emissions transport.

Construction has already begun at a site nearby DTNA’s Portland headquarters, and the plan is to have a total of nine vehicle charging stations open by spring. The chargers will have the potential to supply more than one megawatt of power, which Daimler says is “four times faster than today’s fastest light-duty vehicle chargers.” Both companies hope to expand on the initial offerings by adding more chargers, energy storage capabilities, solar power systems, and much more.

Mutually Beneficial Development

The Electric Island is much more than a public charging site. DTNA is part of PGE’s Green Future Impact program, which means both companies are aligned in looking forward to the future of renewable energy as it relates to not only electric vehicles, but also the power grid. As such, the new facility won’t produce any greenhouse gas emissions.

The dual benefit of this site is that DTNA gets to continue working toward its electric vehicle goals while PGE can test out such emerging technologies as vehicle-to-grid power, onsite energy generation, and the second-life use of battery packs, according to Daimler. It’s also an opportunity to test fleet management platforms and other solutions.

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The site is currently under construction and will feature up to nine charging stations. DTNA and PGE plan to add other features in the future, including more chargers, energy storage solutions, and more. (Image courtesy of Daimler Trucks North America.)

Moving Toward A Brighter, Cleaner Future

“In cooperation with PGE, and with the plan to expand electric vehicle charging right here in Portland to support not only our EV charging needs, but those of other drivers in the area, we are paving the way to a brighter, cleaner CO₂-neutral future,” says DTNA President and CEO Roger Nielsen. “As the largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles, we can accelerate this shift and are excited to address, holistically, the complete EV ecosystem. Daimler Trucks has made Portland our home for the past 73 years and having been born and raised in Oregon, I am incredibly proud to help make Swan Island an Electric Island.”

Source: Daimler Trucks North America