Hitachi America, Hitachi Energy, and Penske Truck Leasing launch electric truck project

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Hitachi America, Hitachi Energy, and Penske Truck Leasing recently launched a large-scale, centralized electric truck charging solution.

“Investing in our capabilities with electric vehicles and charging solutions is crucial as our customers seek to decarbonize their fleets and comply with emissions regulations,” Art Vallely, Penske Truck Leasing president, said. “Robust public and private charging infrastructures are essential to ensure the viability of commercial electric trucks in the future.”

Under the pilot initiative, Hitachi Energy supplied Penske with its Grid-eMotion Fleet EV charging system. The system is a integrated direct current, grid-to-plug charging solution that can be installed in new and existing truck depots and logistics centers.

It is designed to deliver multimegawatt level charging capabilities and includes different charging points configurations. It can reduce space requirements up to 60 percent and cuts cabling needs up to 40 percent.

The charging system is already in use to charge electric vehicles across light-, medium- and heavy-duty applications. The 10-pedestal system can charge up to 10 trucks on-site up to 100 kilowatts or five trucks up to 200 kilowatts.

The project supports Penske’s electric truck deployments for its customers in the Stockton, Calif., area. It represents an opportunity to highlight the benefits of the charging systems designed for fleets, Hitachi Energy said.