Abstract
California is transitioning heavy-duty freight trucks from diesel to battery-electric vehicles to help meet its climate and air quality goals. Unlike passenger vehicles, electric trucks require much larger batteries and high-powered chargers, creating concentrated demands on the electric grid. At the same time, freight carriers operate under strict schedules that leave little flexibility in when and how long trucks can charge. As freight electrification expands, coordinating truck operations, charging infrastructure, and grid planning will become increasingly important.
Without that coordination, simultaneous truck charging, particularly during periods of high electricity demand, can increase electricity costs, strain local grid infrastructure, and create congestion at charging stations. These challenges are compounded by state and regional incentives that may unintentionally encourage trucks with the largest batteries and fastest chargers rather than the most efficient charging strategies. The result is a more expensive freight electrification system for fleets, utilities, infrastructure providers, and ultimately taxpayers.
To identify strategies that support both efficient freight operations and a reliable electric grid, a grid-aware optimization model using 3.9 million real-world California truck loads was developed. This brief covers how battery size, charger speed, charging schedules, and charger locations affect both fleet operating costs and grid performance.
