CALSTART announced the launch of a project to guide investment in commercial medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure along I-95, one of the nation’s most heavily traveled freight routes. The company said its East Coast Commercial ZEV Corridor project will incorporate input from fleet operators, the charging and fueling industry, utilities and communities to determine an efficient path forward to support MHD ZEV deployment.

Funded by a $1.2M grant from the Department of Energy, CALSTART said the two-year initiative will define the locations, contributors and processes that will result in a zero-emission freight corridor up and down the Eastern seaboard. The company said it has worked for decades with government, vehicle and infrastructure manufacturers and fleets to put into place clean-air regulations and to create the clean transportation industry necessary to meet them.

“The I-95 Corridor project, once completed, will put into practice the integration of zero-emission vehicles, infrastructure, and addressing climate-change issues that has been carried out in other areas of the country,” John Boesel, president and CEO of CALSTART, said. “The successful implementation of this project will put to rest the unfounded concerns of zero-emission opponents by demonstrating that this technology is both economically feasible and a benefit to all.”

A second study, led by National Grid with a similar DOE grant, focuses on the I-95 corridor from Maine to New Jersey, and will, in combination with CALSTART’s study, provide an analysis of the planning and investment needs that will lead to the construction of this electrified commercial transportation conduit.

“Readying our grid infrastructure for electric trucks will require careful planning and close collaboration across state lines,” Bart Franey, National Grid’s vice president of clean energy development in New York. “This DOE grant award brings the right stakeholders into the same room to chart a clear course for electric truck charging across the Northeast. This roadmap will inform efforts by states, utilities and the industry leaders to create a seamless truck charging network across the region.”