Opinion: Shorepower — Not Just for Boats

By Jeff Kim

President and CEO

Shorepower Technologies

This Opinion piece appears in the Dec. 12 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.

When a boat pulls into a marina, the owner hooks up to a dockside electrical system to power onboard equipment rather than running the engine — this is where the term “shore power” was first used.

When a plane taxis to an airport gate and the passengers disembark, ground crews attach the aircraft to local power rather than keeping the jet engines whining.

Similarly, when a recreational vehicle pulls into a developed campsite for the night, out comes the cord to connect the RV to an electrical hookup so lights, appliances and heating and air conditioning will continue to operate without the engine running.

But when truckers pull into a truck-stop parking lot for a mandatory 10-hour rest period, they often keep the engine idling, if they want to use air conditioning or their heater.

That’s a problem on many levels: the noise and emissions that are concerns for the drivers at the truck stop and neighbors in nearby communities; the cost of diesel fuel for idling; the added maintenance and repair expenses generated by hours of engine idling; and the potential legal restrictions on idling from local and state laws.

The obvious answer would seem to be providing the truck driver with the same service already available to boats, planes and recreational vehicles: a connection to a power source that allows use of onboard comfort, communications and entertainment systems without leaving the engine operating.

Anti-idling systems aren’t new, but many believe they’ve been cumbersome, expensive or not widely available or that vehicles haven’t been set up to take full advantage of them. What has resulted is a sort of stalemate with no one — drivers, fleet owners, truck stop operators, equipment manufacturers — willing to commit fully to their dedicated use, purchase or deployment.

However, it’s a new day in anti-idling technology, with many initiatives under way to break that stalemate.

One such effort comes through the federally funded Shorepower Truckstop Electrification Project (STEP), under which my company, for example, is deploying power pedestals at 50 truck stops on major freight corridors around the country, adding 1,200 electrified spaces. We are not the only company supplying power pedestals — and IdleAir provides power and HVAC — but so far, we are the only one doing it under the STEP program. And we’ve gotten commitments not just from independent operators but from major chains such as Pilot Flying J to install the power pedestals.

The attractions to this approach are considerable. Drivers get a quieter, healthier environment in which to take their rest periods (so do the neighbors, for that matter). They also don’t have to worry about whether they’re in compliance with the complex welter of anti-idling rules. And they get a system that requires no more than an extension cord to use. In its simplest form, a driver can plug in a space heater to stay warm at night.

Vehicle owners pay only $1 an hour for an electrical connection, as opposed to paying $4 for each gallon of diesel fuel it takes to idle a truck for an hour. They also reduce the wear and tear on engines that leads to higher maintenance costs.

But truck stop electrification isn’t the only initiative under way to get the trucking industry to move from idling to shore power. Another component of STEP is a rebate program through which buyers can save up to 20% of the installed price (or a maximum amount, depending on the category) for equipment that can connect to shore power or operate on battery power. Cascade Sierra Solutions, our partner in administering STEP, is handling the rebate program.

Increased availability of shore-power connections should increase use and demand, which in turn should encourage more manufacturers to make add-on equipment for using shore power. It also should further the trend for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to build and offer shore-power plug receptacles and AC-powered HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems in their vehicles.

The vision is to have almost every truck equipped with shore-power-friendly systems and to have ubiquitous shore power so that anywhere truckers think about idling for any length of time, they have an alternative.

We believe that can happen. Anti-idling laws, which are already on the books in at least 30 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in dozens of municipalities, aren’t likely to be rolled back. If anything, they’ll proliferate even more, with even stricter restrictions. The cost differential that’s favorable to shore power isn’t likely to shrink — unless you’re betting on a sizable decline in the price of diesel fuel. And the more drivers and fleet operators experience shore power and its benefits, the more they’re going to want — and expect — its availability.

We believe the day is not far off when the biggest question about this technology is not: “How does it work?” or “Does it work?” or “What’s it cost?” or “Where can I find it?” It will be: “What took the industry so long?”

Shorepower Technologies is a transportation electrification infrastructure company with corporate facilities in Portland, Ore., and Utica, N.Y.