Expanding Access to Electric Trucks
Electric trucks bear promise to decouple freight movement from harmful diesel emissions. Freight Electrification-as-a-Service for Transformation (FEaST), a groundbreaking multi-organization partnership, will develop solutions to overcome EV truck cost barriers, and the lack of both charging infrastructure and a workforce equipped to maintain electric trucks.
FEaST will provide the building blocks for truck electrification at scale in New York and beyond.
Deployments
Engagement
EaaS
Partners
Building a Self-Sustaining Electric Truck Market
As the East Coast’s flagship electric truck deployment and development initiative, FEaST will tackle high upfront costs associated with electric trucks, alleviate complexities arising from charging infrastructure and energy management, and develop a local workforce to support freight electrification in and around New York City. It will provide a blueprint for transforming the trucking industry to zero-emission technology through three key goals:
Establish technical and financial viability of electric trucks using innovative financing products that do not rely indefinitely on public funding.
Strengthen New York’s workforce to thrive as a leading electrification market and support large-scale replication.
Ensure accountability for community benefits through ongoing engagement and transparency.
Electric Truck Deployments
Over the course of the project, 14 electric trucks will be deployed at facilities in the South Bronx and Sullivan County and travel in or near disadvantaged communities throughout New York City and the lower Hudson Valley. Both deployments will feature variations on Electrification-as-a-Service (EaaS).
Anheuser-Busch Deployment Area
The Anheuser-Busch deployment will feature 10 Class 8 tractors based in their Hunts Point depot and service bars and stores throughout New York City, as well as Yankee Stadium and CitiField.
NFI Deployment Area
The NFI Industries deployment will include four Class 8 Daimler eCascadia trucks domiciled in Sullivan County and service Kohl’s stores across the Lower Hudson Valley.
Activating New York’s Workforce Talent
Local communities deserve a chance to work toward cleaner air and better health while improving their standard of living. FEaST will train individuals from disadvantaged communities in the New York City area for careers in e-mobility and facilitate stable job placements upon training completion. This partnership will include:
Recruiting
Priority recruiting from disadvantaged communities
Training
Paid training
HIRING
Placement assistance in green jobs
Support
Wraparound services support (e.g., financial literacy courses, etc.)
Community Accountability and Engagement
Fleets, manufacturers, financing partners, and communities will work together to define common goals and ensure equitable project outcomes. Together, participating fleets and community leaders will:
Develop statements of community benefits that outline how fleet beneficiaries will spread grant benefits with community members.
Incorporate community concerns and priorities into work plans.
Work with the Green Ribbon Panel, an external review committee, to ensure community priorities are met.
Defining Electrification-as-a-Service
EaaS holds the key to mainstream electric trucks at total cost of ownership (TCO) parity—when operating savings offset higher upfront costs.
With EaaS, all costs are bundled together and spread out over time, making the technology and operational savings more accessible to everyone. FEaST will also demonstrate a novel first-loss protection product to mitigate residual value risk, which will not only bring down TCO but unlock commercial bank lending for fleet electrification.
Project Partners
FEaST project partners are working to decouple diesel emissions from freight movement and build a self-sustaining electric truck market in and around New York City.
CALSTART will manage and coordinate the partners in a detailed sequence of multi-year workstreams to execute the project.
BlocPower will administer the charging infrastructure technician track of the workforce training program, including curriculum development and delivery, candidate recruitment, provision of wraparound services, and community engagement activities.
ChargerHelp, Inc. will provide a “reliability-as-a-service” package for charging infrastructure deployed by participating fleets . ChargerHelp will also develop and deliver the curriculum for the charging infrastructure training track.
Consortium for Worker Education will administer the electric truck technician track of the workforce training program, including curriculum development and delivery, candidate recruitment, and job placement support.
Daimler Trucks Financial Services will manage and finance deployment of electric trucks operated by NFI Industries in Wurtsboro, NY.
Empire Clean Cities will support clean transportation industry outreach and engagement of small truck fleets in the greater New York City area, in addition to job placements for workforce program trainees.
Green City Force will lead workforce program candidate recruitment in New York City public housing developments and oversee community-based accountability and conflict resolution mechanisms.
Proenergy Consulting will develop commercial terms and conditions for a first-loss protection product to insure a portion of the residual values of trucks deployed by NFI Industries and financed by Daimler Trucks Financial Services.
Trucking Association of New York will support truck fleet outreach and engagement statewide, serve as an advisor for curriculum development, and assist in the formation of an employer network.
Zeem Solutions will manage and finance a deployment of electric trucks operated by Anheuser-Busch in the Bronx, NY, including all supporting charging infrastructure, installation, charging management, and electricity.
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