Forum Mobility’s charging network is slated to grow with four additional sites in California by next summer, with projected operational openings in Q1 and Q2.
Executives with the electric charging and trucking solutions provider shared the timelines with Trucking Dive alongside an announcement of the new locations: two in Oakland, a third in Ontario, and the fourth in Rancho Dominguez near the company’s flagship site in Long Beach and a nearby private site for customer Hight Logistics.
“The infrastructure is coming in; the capital's coming in; the trucks are coming off the line,” Matt LeDucq, CEO and co-founder of Forum Mobility, told Trucking Dive. “You're starting to see an incredible amount of momentum.”
The additional sites will expand and enhance the company’s capabilities for customers with megawatt charging, which can deliver a full charge in 30 to 45 minutes or about four times faster than previously offered, executives told Trucking Dive in a video interview Wednesday.
Pull-through lane configurations at the charging sites will allow a semi-tractor to remain attached to a chassis while charging, per the announcement.
The company is also connecting customers with Tesla Semis, giving a range of up to 500 miles and allowing a dray truck with a container to go from the Port of Long Beach all the way to Phoenix, Mobility Forum Chief Strategy Officer Adam Browning said in the interview.
“The highly favorable total cost of ownership for battery-electric class 8 trucks has driven rapid motor carrier adoption,” LeDucq said in the announcement. “We are excited to expand our offerings, delivering competitively leased trucks and dedicated charging facilities that allow our customers to operate safely, reliably, fuel quickly, and at a lower cost per mile than diesel.”
Total cost of ownership, or TCO, modeling can vary, but assuming $5 a gallon for diesel and 7.5 mpg with an internal combustion engine, Mobility Forum’s electric offering provided double-digit percentage savings in the past, LeDucq told Trucking Dive. With diesel volatility reaching new highs in September, that translates to a 20% or 30% cost reduction or more with the company’s electric offerings, he said.
“This has become a no-brainer for the motor carriers,” LeDucq said, adding that cargo owners and shippers seeking emissions reductions in their overall supply chains are also a notable factor.
The company plans further scaling throughout the U.S. in places such as the Inland Empire and Central Valley in California; Houston and Dallas; Seattle/Tacoma; Phoenix; Las Vegas; and Chicago. LeDucq said the company is also excited about developing in the Southeast.
While Forum Mobility initially focused on the drayage market, tech advances with equipment like the Tesla Semi are expanding its reach. The company is slated to start receiving its share of 330 Semis, which will be leased or owned by its customers. Deliveries are expected to begin later this year, according to LeDucq.
“This is a outstanding, growing, and very real option that is good for their business,” LeDucq said.
