WattEV, a provider of heavy-duty electrification services and charging infrastructure, recently broke ground on its sixth heavy-duty electric truck charging depot in California at the Port of Oakland. The new facility will establish a zero-emission freight corridor connecting the Bay Area to Sacramento, Nevada and WattEV’s existing Southern California operations.
“We’ve been working towards opening a Northern California charging depot for several years,” said Salim Youssefzadeh, CEO and co-founder of WattEV in a press release. “Until now, most truck charging infrastructure has been concentrated in Southern California. This project marks a significant milestone for WattEV, the Bay Area, and California’s zero emission freight future.”
Youssefzadeh told FreightWaves the Oakland depot will feature 15 240-kilowatt CCS dispensers and six MCS dispensers. The release notes the company aims to enable concurrent charging of 25 medium and heavy-duty electric trucks. Designed from the ground up for megawatt charging, the facility aims to reduce charging “dwell times” to 30 minutes or less compared to the hours required with kilowatt charging.
WattEV’s has a unique approach, where it is both an infrastructure provider who also operates its own trucking fleet. This allows the company to test vehicle capabilities, establish efficient routes, and build relationships with shippers.
“We don’t want to see our stations sit idle,” Youssefzadeh explained. “We came up with the idea of creating a transport company not with the idea of becoming a large-scale transporter but testing the capabilities of the vehicles, building relationships with shippers, testing the routes, and then being able to give those to owner-operators as we scale up.”
Looking ahead to 2026, Youssefzadeh predicts the emergence of megawatt-capable vehicles, with the Tesla Semi currently supporting MCC capabilities. WattEV has ordered 40 Tesla Semis and is already testing two in its fleet, with most manufacturers committed to the megawatt charging standard.
The Oakland facility expands WattEV’s existing network of five charging depots throughout Southern California. The company has 15 additional sites under development that will cover the entire West Coast from San Diego to Washington, with plans to operate 100 charging stations by 2035.
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