In February 2024, the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative (JETSI) celebrated a milestone with the deployment of 50 Class 8 battery electric trucks (BET) and temporary power charging infrastructure. JETSI is a landmark project with a large scale deployment of zero-emission Class 8 battery electric trucks and supporting infrastructure.
National Freight Industries (NFI) hosted the event at their Ontario, California facility with representatives from South Coast AQMD, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the California Energy Commission (CEC), and the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC).
Speakers highlighted the successes of the public-private partnership to develop and deploy cleaner technologies at scale. Speakers from NFI, CARB, CEC, South Coast AQMD, and MSRC shared insights on the challenges that arise with deploying and coordinating operations between battery electric trucks and charging infrastructure. The event showcased the completion of ten 350 kW temporary power charging connectors, construction of a BET maintenance facility, paving/striping for a facility BET parking lot, and fleet offices.
The key aspects of the project include charging infrastructure, vehicle technology, BET maintenance, technician and driver training, and strategies to maximize truck and charger uptime. Volvo Trucks North America discussed BET operation in conjunction with the charging technology, while Daimler Truck North America discussed vehicle technology, maintenance training, service warranties, and field results observed by NFI trucks in drayage service.
The anticipated environmental impact of the JETSI project is significant, with 2.45 tons of weighted criteria pollutant emission reductions and 3,415 metric tons of greenhouse gas emission reductions annually as well as the replacement of an equivalent of 2.7 million diesel gallons over the 8-year project period.
As the project continues, NFI will complete the installation of permanent power charging infrastructure as well as 1 megawatt (MW) of solar coupled with a 7.7 megawatt-hour (MWh) of onsite battery energy storage that will help minimize on-peak energy consumption.
For more information on the JETSI project, visit www.jetsiproject.com.