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Electric trucks are continuing to push their diesel-powered cousins aside, regardless of the abrupt shift in federal energy policy under US President Donald Trump. Back in 2024, a coalition of global transportation heavy hitters hatched a plan to test heavy duty electric trucks on the I-10 shipping corridor between Los Angeles, California, and El Paso, Texas, and they are sticking with the plan.
Prepping The Charging Infrastructure For Heavy Duty Electric Trucks
The I-10 pilot test launched in September last year under the umbrella of the global nonprofit organization Smart Freight Centre. SFC anchors a new coalition of leading shippers and carriers seeking to accelerate their electrification journey in the US, with the I-10 corridor serving as a test bed for charging solutions.
Among the founding I-10 coalition members are AIT Worldwide Logistics, DB Schenker, Maersk, Microsoft, and PepsiCo. The US firm Terawatt Infrastructure is providing six of its charging hubs for the I-10 test.
“Through this collaboration under Smart Freight Centre, the coalition seeks to demonstrate the possibilities for fleet emissions reduction, while accelerating long-haul EV deployment and cost parity,” SFC explains, adding that the I-10 pilot is designed to accelerate the uptake of electric trucks while motivating EV charging stakeholders to contribute their solutions.
Electric Trucks Are Still Winning, DOGE Or No DOGE
At the launch of the venture, SFC also noted that the I-10 coalition supports the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy in the US. However, that document was introduced in March of 2024, way back when actual experts occupied positions of authority in the federal government.
The screaming meemies who currently hold those desks have other ideas, and one victim of the new regime is the office that developed the Zero-Emission roadmap, the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. It has all but vanished under the slash-and-burn regime of the malevolently incompetent Commander-in-Chief who occupies the White House and his chief enabler, Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Roadmap or not, but the premature death of the Joint Office has not stopped the I-10 coalition. On April 28, SFC announced that the effort is still alive and kicking with the addition of four new members: The global logistics firm C.H. Robinson, DHL Supply Chain, Electrolux Group, and IKEA.
Make That Autonomous Electric Trucks, Too
Alongside the SFC announcement, Terawatt also took the opportunity to provide more details about its role in the pilot project. In addition to serving as a test bed for driver-controlled heavy duty electric trucks, the company’s EV charging stations are set up to accommodate autonomous trucks should any come along.
“Each site offers Megawatt Charging System (MCS) capable chargers, supporting the latest in Class 8 electric and autonomous vehicles, and will also provide advanced security features to protect vehicles, cargo, and equipment, Terrawatt explains.
On its part, C.H. Robinson has taken a la-la-la-can’t-hear-you stance regarding the time-worn “drill, baby, drill” fossil energy policy championed by Trump.
In a press statement, the company’s VP for Environmental, Social and Governance, Rachel Schwalbach, emphasized that C.H. Robinson’s “commitment to sustainability is unwavering.”
Nothing Can Stop Global Decarbonization, Trump Or No Trump
Schwalbach also underscored the broad impact of the I-10 coalition, demonstrating once again that US President Trump is powerless to stop the decarbonization of the global economy.
“We’re excited to help enable this infrastructure expansion to bring additional sustainability offerings to our 450,000 contract carriers and 83,000 customers across small and global businesses alike,” she said.
DHL is also aiming high over Trump’s head. “As one of the world’s largest third-party logistics providers, DHL Supply Chain is committed to achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, explains Stephan Schablinski, VP GoGreen for DHL Supply Chain North America.
“We have embarked on a major decarbonization strategy across our network of more than 500 operations in North America, including operating 30% of our heavy-duty fleet with zero or near zero emission technologies by 2030,” he added.
Supply Chains & Sustainability
If you’re wondering how manufacturers like Electrolux factor in, that’s a good question. Last year I dropped in on a Bloomberg NEF conference that took a deep dive into just that topic. The global makers of things are beginning to pay close attention to the carbon emissions related to their supply chains, and that includes working towards zero emission transportation goals.
“Our industry is dependent on complex supply chains and our overall sustainability impact often depends on decisions made in our supply chain,” explains Tara Helms, who is the Director of Sustainability for Electrolux’s North America branch. “We have an obligation to take ownership and see our suppliers as an extension of ourselves.”
The same goes for retailers like IKEA. “As one of the largest transportation buyers globally, with approximately 1.7 million shipments per year, we recognize our responsibility to support transportation decarbonization and innovation,” explains IKEA Supply Chain Operations Manager Doris Martetschläger.
Electric Trucks Are Coming For Your Fossil Fuels
The heavy-duty truck market has been resisting electrification, but cracks are beginning to show in the wall. Legacy truck makers have begun adding Class 8 long haul electric trucks to their rosters, one example being Kenworth’s newly upgraded electric T680E.
In another sign of the potential for rapid scaleup, new financing tools are beginning to swing into action. In April, for example, the NuGen Go branch of NuGen Capital Management launched a new lease model that helps fleet managers make the switch from diesel to electric trucks as quickly as possible. NuGen has already applied the financing tool to help the FedEx contractor NorCal Logistics add 100 Class 6 electric step vans to its delivery fleet in California.
The vans were manufactured by the US firm Motiv Electric Trucks, which is also gearing up for showtime. Last week Motiv launched a new partner network, enabling fleet managers to connect with pre-vetted firms to assist their electrification journey.
If you’re in the market for electric trucks, check out the inaugural members of the Motiv Premier Partner Network — ABM, Flipturn, FractalEV, FuSE, Geotab, InCharge Energy, The Mobility House, and SitelogIQ.
Motiv also plans to add additional members in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the transportation world is waiting with bated breath for the long awaited Tesla Semi Class 8 heavy duty truck to hit full volume production later this year.
Or not, as the case may be. Leading global firms like IKEA, Electrolux, and Pepsi, among others, may be a little shy about hitching their carefully guarded reputations to the Tesla brand nowadays.
If you have any thoughts about that, drop a note in the comment thread.
Photo (cropped): Electric trucks from the US manufacturer Motiv are ready to roll as the pace of fleet electrification picks up (courtesy of Motiv).
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