California-based WattEV is on a mission to speed up the adoption of all-electric transportation in the heavy duty trucking industry. In January 2024, the company announced its latest contribution to the electrification of California’s highway: three new electric truck-charging depots, using $75.6 million in federal grant money. And they reached out to Blymyer for the projects.
Mobilizing new charging station technology
Two of the depots are along the I-5 corridor in California’s Central Valley and another is in the city of Blythe on the California-Arizona border—a combined total of 258 charging points. The initiative was a partnership with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (APCD) and the City of Blythe. Blymyer provided design services for the Bakersfield depot and both design and engineering services for the other two EV charging projects.
All three depots include megawatts of solar panels and battery storage to provide clean power and reduce the drain on power grids. The depots feature the first rollout of WattEV’s megawatt charging stations, built to provide faster charging speeds than the direct-current fast chargers commonly used today.
Drawing on Blymyer’s multifaceted expertise
“California currently leads the U.S. in the push to swap out diesel-fueled trucks for electric, but it all depends on the build-out of electric truck stops and depots like these,” explains Greg Mazur, Blymyer’s Director of Engineering. “Blymyer is excited to help facilitate the transition to EV-powered trucking, which will have a major impact on reducing emissions across the state.
The WattEV project is ideal for us because it draws on our multiple capabilities in EV charging, solar and BESS. Not many firms have this range of expertise under one roof. The WattEV truck-charging depots were so successful, we are now working on a new one in Sacramento. We look forward to even more in the future.”
About WattEV
WattEV, the nation’s leading medium- and heavy-duty electric truck charging infrastructure developer, is working to accelerate the transition of U.S. trucking transport to zero emissions. Through a combination of business and technology innovations, the company creates charging infrastructure and data-driven workflows, providing truckers and fleet operators with the lowest total cost of ownership. WattEV’s goal is to get 12,000 heavy-duty electric trucks on California roads by the end of 2030, exceeding existing forecasts. Please visit WattEV.com for more information.