Last Wednesday, I was at a conference for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in my home town of Portland, Oregon. I was taking a few pictures of the different charging stations and a thought occurred to me. What if (that important question that innovators and engineers often ask) we re-purposed the charging stations to provide a high speed charge for the batteries on Class 8 sleeper trucks at truck stops and rest areas?
One charging station company indicated they are working with Love's, but from the perspective of charging passenger vehicles frequenting the restaurant and hotels they want to put in. What if the fuel island could safely have a charging station so that before you head out for a day of driving, you add diesel, check the oil, add DEF and add some coulombs of charge to the batteries with a high speed charger? Maybe we should consider having TMC or SAE Truck and Bus Electrical consider this potential for over-the-road trucks.