Freight mobility company Einride has opened its first U.S. Einride Smartcharger Station in Lynwood, California.
With 65 chargers and capacity to charge up to 200 vehicles a day, the Los Angeles County site is the largest operational charging site for electric heavy-duty freight in North America and represents a landmark for charging infrastructure in the U.S. The site was built in collaboration with Voltera, a developer and owner of charging infrastructure for zero-emission vehicle fleets.
Strategically located near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach along I-710, which handles 29% of all containerized international waterborne trade in the U.S., the site will ensure electric fleets are able to seamlessly integrate into day-to-day shipping operations, while reducing congestion and driver wait times.
The charging station currently serves Einride’s connected electric fleets, including routes for global shipping giant A.P. Moller–Maersk. Einride will make the station available for future customers in order to bolster the freight ecosystem in Los Angeles County. A grand opening event for the site will be held in April.
“The launch of Einride’s first Smartcharger Station in the U.S. marks a momentous stride in establishing digital, electric freight as an important enabler to a more resilient U.S. freight system,” says Robert Falck, CEO and founder of Einride. “This facility will enable a key region to fast-track to electric, given its proximity to the Port of LA, one of the world’s busiest container ports and a driver of the U.S. economy.”
“Our team was able to get Einride’s Lynwood site permitted, built, energized and operational in under 18 months — in the world of charging infrastructure, that’s pretty remarkable,” says Matt Horton, CEO of Voltera. “Our team learned a lot from this project that will help inform and guide our continued build-out of zero-emission vehicle infrastructure nationwide.”
Beyond enabling trucks to recharge between shipments, the Smartcharger Station offers truck drivers a lounge with key amenities as well as providing information such as charge status, remaining time, power output and performance. The station is integrated with Einride Saga, an intelligent freight operating system that provides AI-powered data insights and powers the full Einride ecosystem. This integration allows the firm to provide real-time updates on demand, location, timing and utilization of charging infrastructure.
This location is the first of many the company plans to build throughout the U.S. Future stations are being pursued on both the West and East Coast, with construction to begin on new sites later in 2024.