Duke Energy says it is building a “performance center” that will model and accelerate the development, testing and deployment of zero-emission light-, medium- and heavy-duty commercial electric vehicle fleets.
The site, which will be located at Duke Energy’s Mount Holly Technology and Innovation Center in North Carolina, will provide a commercial-grade charging experience for fleet customers evaluating or launching electrification strategies – reinforcing reliability, clean power and optimization by integrating with solar, storage and microgrid controls software applications.
“Electric fleet commitments are increasing as companies with ambitious sustainability goals work to decarbonize business operations,” says Harry Sideris, executive vice president of customer experience, solutions and services for Duke Energy. “We are helping speed commercial fleet electrification across the Duke Energy footprint through innovations like this, while we electrify our own fleet.”
The center will be able to be connected either to the Duke Energy grid, charging from the bulk electric system, or powered by 100% carbon-free resources through the microgrid located at Mount Holly. The project is the first electric fleet depot to offer a microgrid charging option.
On this effort, Duke Energy is teaming with Electrada, an electric fuel solutions company, as part of a larger fleet electrification collaboration. Electrada invests all required capital “behind the meter” on behalf of fleet owners and delivers reliable charging to fleet electric vehicles through a performance contract, eliminating the complexity and risk that fleets face in transitioning to this new source of fuel.
Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America, will join Duke Energy and Electrada as a founding participant in the fleet EV charging program at the Duke Energy Emerging Technology and Innovation Center. One of DTNA’s largest East Coast manufacturing facilities is located directly adjacent to the center; this proximity creates an ideal opportunity to utilize the chargers at the site and also demonstrate charging technologies to customers visiting the plant in the future.
Identifying EV charging technologies and how they may be used to power any type of fleet will help develop a model that shows the industry a clear, integrated and cost-effective path to fleet electrification, Duke Energy says.