Sysco building a massive EV charging hub for its fleet trucks in Riverside

Food distributor Sysco is building an electric vehicle hub at its Riverside facility that eventually will be capable of powering 40 EV trucks and 40 hybrid-electric refrigerated trailers.

Equipped with 4 megawatts of battery storage and 1.5 megawatts of solar generation, the hub at 15750 Meridian Parkway will have 40 dual-port, fast-charging stations for trucks and another 40 chargers for trailers.

The installation will help Sysco achieve its goal of reducing emissions by 27.5%. The company plans to add 2,800 electric trucks to its current U.S. fleet of 9,000 vehicles by 2030.

Twenty charging stations already have been installed and the full charging network is expected to be completed this summer. The battery and solar portion will be up and running in early 2024, the company said.

Working with heavy-duty truck manufacturer Daimler Truck North America, Sysco last year announced plans to deploy up to 800 battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia trucks by 2026.

“We took our very first eCascadia off the production line in November,” said Marie Robinson, Sysco’s chief supply chain officer.

The company operates 11 eCascadia trucks at the Riverside facility and plans to have 20 in operation by this summer. The vehicles are capable of hauling trailers of up to 38 feet in length.

“That’s smaller than a typical 18-wheeler because these trucks often have to pull into tight spaces to service restaurants,” Robinson said.

Each EV charging station at the Riverside facility will be able to charge a vehicle or trailer in about three hours. The eCascadia can travel 155 miles on a single charge.

“That’s well suited to our business model because we typically have longer dwell times between the dispatching of trucks,” Robinson said. “And we’re comfortable with the driving range, as about a third of our routes are less than 150 miles.”

Sysco is also testing electric refrigerated trailers that come equipped with a charging unit built into the axle. The charger activates when the trailer is in motion. The company is working with ConMet and Carrier on that piece of the network.

InCharge Energy has been commissioned to activate the facility’s 40 EV chargers.

“This project sets the stage for the increasing shift to electric mobility in California, especially given the EPA’s recent decision to allow California to accelerate its transition from diesel to electric trucks,” said Terry O’Day, InCharge’s chief operating officer.

Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it was approving California’s plan to mandate that by 2045 all operations of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles be zero emission where feasible, shifting away from diesel-powered trucks.

Sysco’s Riverside distribution facility began operation in 2013. It employs nearly 500 workers and serves 4,000 customers a year throughout the Inland Empire and surrounding desert communities. The company bought additional land at the site when it acquired the property.

“We often do that because you never know what will come up 10 or 15 years down the road,” Robinson said. “In this case, it’s good to have this land for the infrastructure buildout.”

Sysco has taken additional steps to reduce its carbon footprint by buying clean energy generated through solar, wind or other sustainable sources. The company’s Riverside facility has a vast array of rooftop solar panels that generate 1 megawatt of energy. More are being added, and when they’re installed the entire array will generate 2.5 megwatt hours of energy, the company said.

Sysco is also looking to reduce its landfill stream by providing waste to local farmers that can be used as compost.

The company will hold an invitation-only groundbreaking at the Riverside facility on Friday, April 21 with Sysco representatives, customers, vendors and others on hand. Two eCascadia trucks and two hybrid electric trailers will be on display. The company also will conduct a tour of the construction site and showcase the 20 EV chargers that have been completed.

Sysco sells, markets and distributes food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home.

The company, staffed by more than 71,000 workers operates 333 distribution facilities worldwide and serves an estimated 700,000 customer locations.