Largest electric vehicle charging facility in US planned near Sacramento International Airport
The nation’s largest electric car and truck charging facility will open near Sacramento International Airport in late 2025, charging company WattEV has announced.
The company, armed with a $34 million federal grant issued through the California Transportation Commission, will build a total of 120 chargers, 30 fast chargers for passenger vehicles, and 90 high-power chargers for medium- and heavy-duty commercial electric vehicles.
The site for the facility will be across interstate 5 from the airport’s air freight hub on more than 100 acres of land.
WattEV, which focuses on truck charging, said the facility will be powered by 15.6 megawatts of solar power and 7.2 megawatts of power supplied by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.
WattEV CEO and co-founder Salim Youssefzadeh said in a news release that the airport location was picked because it is next to the Metro Air Park Logistics Center, where more than 10 million square feet of warehouse space is planned.
Youssefzadeh also said the Sacramento region already contains a large concentration of distribution centers.
The company said it selects the locations of its charging depots based on analysis of freight routes, range of electric trucks and energy supply, among other factors.
In a statement, Sacramento County Department of Airports Director Cindy Nichol said the station would help advance the transition of the U.S. trucking industry to zero emissions.
“Sacramento International Airport’s proximity to one of largest goods distribution centers in the state makes this an ideal location to serve California’s electric highway,” she said.
WattEV was also awarded $6.5 million from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to build a 6-acre EV charging deposit in Salem off of I-5.
California has the strictest mandates on electric cars and trucks in the U.S.
Starting in 2030, new car dealers can only sell electric vehicles. In 2036, the same rules go into effect for new medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $7.5 billion in EV charging, but concerns remain as to whether there will be enough charging stations to meet the demands of larger and larger numbers of electric vehicles on the road.
This story was originally published August 4, 2023 at 8:37 AM.