Electric vehicle fleet service provider Zeem Solutions this month broke ground on what will be the nation’s largest commercial charging depot.
The Inglewood-based company began work at the Port of Long Beach site on Sept. 16. The 2.7-acre location – near the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge – will sport 84 fast-charging stations with a 15-megawatt capacity, with plans to scale up that power capacity as demand grows.
This depot will be just the latest in a swath of charging stations for drayage trucks that have popped up either at the ports or adjacent to highway routes where truckers bring their cargo elsewhere. These efforts are part of a broader effort by the ports and port-adjacent operations to decarbonize their vehicles and heavy machinery.
“Ports are critical to our economy, and it’s crucial that we act today to decarbonize our port gateways and our airports to have cleaner air for our citizens,” Zeem founder and Chief Executive Paul Gioupis said at the groundbreaking.
Gioupis said that, within the first full year of operation, he expected this depot to shave 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the port’s air. The depot will operate 24/7 and will be able to fully charge up to 500 trucks a day, according to Zeem.
“When a truck comes off of diesel power and it plugs in, it improves our communities,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said. “That means communities on the west side of Long Beach breathe cleaner air. That’s a win for everyone.”
The project, which was developed in collaboration with Southern California Edison’s Charge Ready Transport program, is anticipated to be finished and operating by the first quarter of next year.
“This is a major success story that needs to be repeated and told across the country right now. Our depots will allow customers to come in, drop off their vehicle, sit in our lounge area, hit the restroom, connect to WiFi, and allow their vehicle to be topped up before they go off on their route,” Gioupis said. “Or it will allow a customer to park their vehicle there overnight, allow our team to provide service and maintenance, and do the charging necessary to make sure they can perform their route without any issues the next day.”
As a service provider, Zeem also works to bring electric Class 8 truck operations to cargo haulers. The company had branded Volvo Trucks models showcased at the groundbreaking this month.
Zeem is also working with property owner ArcLight Capital Partners – an investor in Zeem – to develop a utility scale battery storage unit on the property. This would be managed by ArcLight subsidiary Elevate Renewables.
