Greenlane Eyes Securing 20 Sites by End of 2025, CEO Says
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Alternative power supplier Greenlane expects to have up to 20 sites lined up for development by the end of 2025, the first steps toward building a nationwide public refueling network for battery-electric and hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks, according to CEO Patrick Macdonald-King.
A joint venture between Daimler Truck North America, Florida-based renewable power developer NextEra Energy Resources and BlackRock Alternatives, Greenlane is targeting California first, with the Pacific Northwest and Dallas-Houston-San Antonio region next up, he said. DTNA is the parent company of the Freightliner and Western Star truck brands.
In March, Greenlane announced its first charging corridor will run along Interstate 15 in Southern California, with the first charging sites set to be in Colton, Barstow and Baker. Eventually, the corridor will run 280 miles from southern Nevada to Los Angeles.
Greenlane’s Colton facility will open in the fourth quarter of 2024, with the other two to follow in 2025, Macdonald-King told Transport Topics on the sidelines of ACT Expo 2024 in Las Vegas.
Greenlane's first charging corridor will run along I-15 in Southern California, with the first charging sites set to be in Colton, Barstow and Baker. The corridor will run 280 miles from southern Nevada to Los Angeles. (Daimler Truck North America)
Details on as many as six further sites are expected to be announced in the third quarter, he told TT, adding that Greenlane also plans to reveal its next couple of corridors in the coming months.
Greenlane does not plan to announce individual sites. The company’s game plan involves making sure a series of sites are secured, after which it will announce the facilities to be built along a particular corridor, Macdonald-King said.
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The company’s top executive said Greenlane will have three facility categories:
- Greenlane’s biggest stand-alone facilities with 40-60 charging stations
- Bolt-on sites at existing truck stops
- Snap-on facilities at dealerships or convenience stores
Ideally, the partnership expects there to be 60-90 miles between each Greenlane site, Macdonald-King said. However, hydrogen refueling opportunities will not be available at every site, he said.
Macdonald-King
Greenlane’s hydrogen refueling services will align with the wider launch of trucks by original equipment manufacturers, such as DTNA, he said, adding that the company has begun its work streams for hydrogen refueling. Truck manufacturers are in various states of development for both hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen internal combustion power options.
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Initially, Greenlane’s charging stations are likely to be 400-kilowatt pull-through direct current fast chargers, but each facility will be ready to offer megawatt charging system (MCS) options as and when the trucks and hardware are ready, Macdonald-King said.
“MCS is core to Greenlane’s business plan,” he said. MCS charging stations will be closest to the rest facilities at each site, with premium access, he added.
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With ACT Expo attendees broadly stressing that more infrastructure is needed to convince carriers of the merits of electrification and other alternative fuel options, the $650 million in backing Greenlane has from its backers offers it some time. BlackRock Alternatives, for example, is a subsidiary of financial services giant BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest investment firm.
And MacDonald-King promised Greenlane’s facilities will be located where carriers need them most.
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