Einride, which provides electric and autonomous freight-movement technology, has opened its first Smartcharger Station in the U.S. The heavy-duty EV charging facility is in Lynwood, California, near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The 65 chargers have the ability to charge 200 vehicles a day, according to the company. According to Einride, the site is the largest operational charging site for electric heavy-duty freight in North America and represents a step toward charging infrastructure in the U.S.
The site was built in collaboration with Voltera, a developer of charging infrastructure for zero-emission vehicle fleets.
Seamless Day-to-Day Electric Truck Operations
The location of the Enride Smartcharger station is along I-710, which handles 29% of all containerized international waterborne trade in the U.S., according to Einride. The location will help ensure electric fleets can integrate into day-to-day shipping operations, while reducing congestion and driver wait times.
The charging station currently serves Einride’s connected electric fleets, including routes for global shipping firm A.P. Moller - Maersk. Einride will make the station available for future customers in order to bolster the freight ecosystem in Los Angeles County.
A grand opening event will be held in April to mark the official public opening of the site.
“Our team was able to get Einride’s Lynwood site permitted, built, energized and operational in under 18 months,” added Matt Horton, CEO of Voltera. “In the world of charging infrastructure, that’s pretty remarkable."
Horton said the Voltera team learned a lot from this project that will help in its continued build-out of zero-emission vehicle infrastructure nationwide.
A Trucker’s Lounge with Amenities
In additon to electric truck charging, Einride’s Smartcharger Station offers truck drivers a lounge with key amenities. The site also provides information such as charge status, remaining time, power output and performance.
The station is integrated with Einride Saga, the intelligent freight operating system that provides AI-powered data insights and powers the full Einride ecosystem. This integration gives customers real-time updates on demand, location, timing, and utilization of charging infrastructure.
This location is the first of many the company plans to build throughout the country. Future stations are being pursued on both the West and East coasts, with construction to begin on new sites later this year.
