New California EV charging depots draw on Blymyer’s multifaceted expertise

Solar: 25MW
Energy Storage: 3MWh
EV Charging: 240-360kW
Engineer: Blymyer Engineers
Partner: WattEV
Developer: WattEV
Utility: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
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WattEV, a leading California-based charging infrastructure developer for heavy-duty electric powered trucks, recently unveiled three new electric truck-charging depots, funded by $75.8 million in federal grant money. Blymyer Engineers partnered with WattEV on the three projects. Two of the charging depots, one of which is in Bakersfield, are located along the I-5 corridor in California’s Central Valley. The third depot is in Blythe on the California-Arizona border.

Blymyer provided design services for the Bakersfield depot and both design and engineering services for the other two EV charging projects,

“The WattEV projects were an ideal match for us because of our multiple capabilities in EV charging, solar and BESS. Not many firms have this range of expertise under one roof,” says Stas Gorbis, Director of DG and EV at Blymyer. “The WattEV truck-charging depots were so well received, we are now working on a new one in Sacramento. We look forward to even more in the future.”

“These multifaceted installations, where energy storage is available at the same site as solar and EV charging, are the future of the renewable energy industry. This will help alleviate stress on the power grid,” continues Gorbis.

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.

A series of firsts in Bakersfield

The opening of the Bakersfield facility marked the completion of the electrification of the CA-99 freight corridor that connects the agricultural region in the San Joaquin Valley to major ports. WattEV plans more depots in the future in Fresno, Stockton, and Oakland.

The Bakersfield station has 15 single-cord 240kW direct-current chargers and three 1,200kW rapid megawatt chargers, all of which draw power from the site’s solar array. For nighttime and overflow charging purposes, the facility offers 16 dual-cord 360kW chargers that are connected to the electrical grid.

Being able to do megawatt rapid charging on the site will be a first for those running heavy-duty EV operations—and a huge leap forward for the California trucking industry.. While it currently takes nearly three hours to charge trucks using today’s 240 to 360kW direct-current, rapid-charging technology, megawatt rapid charging brings down truck charging dwell time to less than 30 minutes.

“California’s San Joaquin Valley, where Bakersfield is located, is known for having poor air quality, and building heavy-duty charging infrastructure will help local businesses bring zero-emissions operations to their fleets, which is “a huge benefit to the entire San Joaquin Valley,” explains WattEV CEO Salim Youssefzadeh.

Building EV charging infrastructure is an imperative

“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.

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.