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California is one of the major leaders in promoting the use of zero-emission commercial vehicles. However, the state must deal with the dual problems of finding space for trucks to park and building charging infrastructure. This is particularly true for areas close to important container ports, which are among the key targets for emission-free truck operations.

According to a recent study of state truck parking, there is essentially no truck parking within 60 miles of the major container ports. The California State Transportation Company has created a truck parking demand model to help identify needs that arise at specific types of facilities and develop strategies to reduce demand.

Caltrans, meanwhile, has joined hands with the state energy commission to study the impact of EV heavy trucks on electricity load, create models and forecasts to predict the EV charging requirements for heavy trucks, and assessing standardization, and coming up with ways to amalgamate the EV structure with truck parking.

Planners have understood that it is impossible for the charging infrastructure to be adjusted into the regular truck parking space footprint. The solution lies in building more parking spaces for trucks.

The truck parking crisis in California results in a truck being parked beside some freeway lanes on average one passenger car every day, which has researchers concerned about the security implications. Moreover, considering that the research does not factor in the entire state, the actual number could be even higher.

Also Read: Can California Achieve Net-Zero Emissions?

The state has come up with a model to try and determine the truck parking needs arising at different facilities and to come up with solutions to address and mitigate demand. Officials are also looking to partner with private sector companies to create new parking sites since not all land owned by the state may be suitable for the purpose.

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