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MagyarCostco installs off-grid Trinity Structures solar capture and charging stations to counter CARB and WAIRE EV fleet truck mandates in California
Costco USA has installed the nation's first off-grid, EV truck charging structure at their primary California distribution center in Mira Loma. This innovation from Trinity Structures combines solar panels, storage batteries, and charging stations in an integrated structure for rapid build-outs. Instead of taking up to two years to design, authorize, and connect charging stations to a strained electrical grid, the installation of the Trinity solution took only 4 months.
California leads, or some say hinders, the transportation industry with electrical and zero emissions vehicle mandates. Recent CARB and WAIRE mandates are already forcing truckers to switch from long-range, diesel semi trucks to limited-range, electrical trucks. Unfortunately, the electrical grid and charging station situation severely limits where truckers can recharge along their routes. Unlike EV cars with ½ to 1 ton battery packs that can be fast charged in an hour or so, trucks with 5 to 8 ton packs would completely clog car charging stations.
Another downside is the limited capacity of the electrical grid and generation in California. State estimates suggest generation would need to triple to meet demand when vehicles are fully electrified, and distribution lines and substations would need to be upgraded to support extremely high current, high voltage fast-charging for large trucks.
Trinity’s solution is to bypass the grid by capturing solar energy and storing it in battery systems on-site. This also bypasses the onerous authorization and design process needed to connect chargers to the electrical grid. Their prefabricated construction allows for rapid assembly of individual stations in just days.
If not for free solar energy, the double-loss of electricity that occurs when storing energy in the on-site battery, then transferring it to the truck battery would be enormous. It is also unclear where the tons of expired storage batteries will be sent without sufficent recycling capacity.
Trinity Structures Deploys the First U.S. Off-Grid Electrified Structures for Costco's Fleet in its Largest Distribution Center
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Trinity Structures 04 Jan, 2024, 13:08 ET
SNOHOMISH, Wash., Jan. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Trinity Structures, trusted provider of turn-key electrification solutions and Costco's electrification partner, announces successful deployment of the first off-grid electrified structures for Costco's fleet in its largest distribution center in Mira Loma, CA.
This milestone represents a significant leap for fleet electrification because it was achieved in only four months, accomplishing design, construction, and deployment with electrified structures that create, convert, and conduct solar energy. Data has shown that these projects can take up to 24 months to complete.
Fleet owners grappling with growing state and federal regulations, programs like California's WAIRE Program, often wrestle with protracted timelines of electric infrastructure development, grid capacity limitations, and delay in grid-tied infrastructure. These challenges have driven a surge in demand for integrated electrified structures, from which fleets can greatly benefit. As part of its Climate Action Plan, Costco is committed to converting depot yard trucks from diesel models to alternative fuel models by 2035 and expanding on-site solar operations where feasible. To meet business and operational needs, Costco required an end-to-end electrification partner to overcome these challenges.
Shay Reed, Assistant General Merchandising Manager for Costco Wholesale, states "These off-grid electrified structures enable our fleet to meet and exceed our Climate Action Commitments during this energy transition. The partnership with Trinity allowed for a solution that is creative, effective, operationally viable, and financially responsible."
Trinity is revolutionizing the process with unmatched speed-to-market using their electrified structures, an integrated modular ecosystem that creates energy with solar power, converts energy with inverters and batteries, and conducts energy through electric vehicle charging or backup power. Darin Leonard, President of Trinity Structures, states "As an end-to-end partner, we provide a single source relationship from concept design, through construction, deployment, monitoring, and maintenance. We are proud to be Costco's partner as they drive for energy innovation to be deployed in months, not years."
As fleet electrification becomes inevitable, fleet owners need sustainable solutions to advance their environmental objectives. Trinity forges an unparalleled path forward with integrated electrified structures that create, convert, and conduct solar energy. Trinity is dedicated to upholding an unmatched speed-to-market while prioritizing ethical energy practices, ensuring their partners adhere to ethical sourcing and genuine renewability.
SOURCE Trinity Structures
