October 2024
Posted: 10/31/2024 3:44:57 PM
Truck electrification efforts are moving forward with a charging depot planned to open next year near Port Newark and a series of charging stations across the Garden State as part of a multi-state effort along the mid-Atlantic region.
A panel of three speakers from the public and private sectors updated members of the NJTPA’s Freight Initiatives Committee (FIC) at its October 21 meeting on the next stages of commercial truck electrification.
“We want to accelerate the transition to electric transportation for all types of fleet operators,” Nicholas Raspanti, Senior Director of Sales and Port Initiatives at Zeem Solutions, with a goal of trying to get cost parity with diesel operations. Zeem Solutions designs, builds, and operates charging depots for commercial fleet operators in or near major transportation centers, like airports and seaports, and warehousing and distribution centers.
“Ports are an intersection of all types of transportation,” said Raspanti. “We’re really just a conduit to electric mobility for these fleet operators.”
The range and capability of electrification at present is appropriate for short-haul distribution, or anything within 300 miles of port gateways, Raspanti said. The port in New York-New Jersey is a good candidate for electrification because about 80 percent of cargo stays fairly close to the port, he said. At that range, the trucks approach “cost parity” with diesel-powered vehicles.
Zeem opened a depot near Los Angeles Airport in December 2021 that features six dual port chargers, dispensing some 3.6 million Kwh to fuel 98,000 charging sessions – or the equivalent carbon dioxide savings of heating about 270 homes annually.
A depot to open by the end of next year near Port Newark at the former Essex generation station is among 14 that Zeem has planned in the next 36 months around the nation.
Pip Decker spent 17 years developing wind and solar projects before he founded Current Trucking, which leases electric trucks to operators and installs charging infrastructure. He helped to develop the first large-scale wind farms in upstate New York 20 years ago and the largest wind farm in Jamaica that’s now been operating for a decade.
“Zero emission freight is that next future,” he said. “Our goal is to be a steering wheel to help every operator, planning agency, and utility service provider … to get this off the ground.”
Newark-based International Motor Freight (IMF) has 100 operating Class 8 semis and will be one of the largest leaders in electric vehicles, ultimately with 20 electric semis in the Newark area. Current is in the process of installing charging infrastructure at IMF’s facility, a project that is partly funded with federal dollars awarded to IMF through NJTPA’s Transportation Clear Air Measures (TCAM) Program.
NJTPA projects and policies supporting electrification “translate into real opportunity on the ground,” Decker told committee members.
“The environmental offset is significant,” Decker said, noting that the Jamaica project offset 500,000 barrels of oil being burned in that country every year.
Boosting these private sector efforts, a Clean Corridor Coalition led by New Jersey and including the states of Connecticut, Delaware, and Maryland has been working on reducing emissions from transportation. It has established complementary rules, policies or incentive programs that have kickstarted the electrification industry, according to Peg Hanna, Director – Climate Change Mitigation and Monitoring at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
The Coalition seeks to create a comprehensive interstate charging corridor that would be used primarily by local delivery trucks in the short term because that’s what’s most prevalent in electric trucking market now, Hanna said. As the industry builds out and more Class 7 and Class 8 trucks become available, these chargers would be used by regional long-haul trucks.
The corridor primarily follows I-95 but in North Jersey it includes roads that feed into I-95 or the port and potentially going across to New York City. The federal government designated the North Jersey area as a Phase 1 priority for electrifying freight network throughout the country.
On Oct. 23, the Coalition was awarded $250 million in federal funds, with most going to build out truck charging infrastructure sites, with some money dedicated toward technical assistance for site hosts once its awarded.
New Jersey would have nine charging depots at a cost of $84 million among 24 throughout the northeast region that would feature 450 charging ports.
Stations would be privately owned and operated, Hanna said. It’s still unclear how many would use the IMF model with charging on site versus the Zeem model, with access to many fleets in one hub location that’s more of a “quasi-public” setting.
The entire project is expected to span about five years, Hanna said. Because of the need for huge amounts of power, sites with some power already or ones that can easily get power will be prioritized. “I don’t think there’s anyone with rose-colored glasses on when it comes to the amount of power needed to accommodate these initiatives,” she said. “Between the truck electrification, building electrification, and data centers, the amount of power is incredible.”
A recording of the October 21 FIC meeting is available on the NJTPA YouTube channnel.
Posted: 10/24/2024 4:04:23 PM
The North Jersey Trail Network Initiative, a partnership between the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition and the Rails to Trails Conservancy, would enlist stakeholders across the region to identify, prioritize, and eventually connect shared-used path trails into a network.
Debra Kagan, Executive Director of the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition, and Tom Sexton, Northeast Regional Director of the Rails to Trails Conservancy, presented the fledgling concept to members of the NJTPA’s Regional Transportation Advisory Committee (RTAC) at its October 15 meeting.
Development of a network of shared use paths in North Jersey is “an essential part of creating active transportation options and to increase access for recreation,” Kagan said. “The idea of a regionwide (trail) network is something we’ve been working on for a while," she said. The Greenway, formerly the Essex-Hudson Greenway from Jersey City to Montclair, was purchased by the state in 2022, and aims to have two sections open to the public by the end of next year.
A network map will prioritize corridors, build support across the region and establish an advisory group to identify priority projects and help with implementation and funding. The initiative would connect existing long-range trails, such as the NJTPA-led Morris Canal Greenway, Sept. 11 National Memorial Trail, East Coast Greenway, and others. “We’re also looking to identify new potential trails, whether they are abandoned rail lines, utility lines, or concepts that have been around a while but not been able to be developed,” Kagan said.
The initiative will focus on the six northeast subregions in New Jersey: the counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Union, and the cities of Jersey City and Newark. “That’s really a question of resources at the moment. We’re going to focus on the northeast section. It’s the densest and heavily in need of support to identify these corridors,” Kagan said. “This is just a focus for now, we certainly look and expect to develop the network across the whole region,” she added.
“Many of you know what happens when trails are created,” said Sexton, who oversees technical assistance and policy in 10 Northeastern states. “It helps the economy, gives us transportation choices, it’s better for the environment, better for our health. But to really amplify this, we need to build networks.”
States are also creating regional visions, Sexton said, pointing to a 1,100-mile trail in New England that’s halfway done after four years that will unite Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. The most successful states have identified priority segments and a vision that’s made clear so funders know where to put their money, he said.
“We know that we’re going to need you to participate,” Kagan told RTAC members. “This is the very beginning of this initiative so we’re coming to you as early as possible to incorporate all the input from counties but also bringing you to together to look at this as a regional project, and regional connections where may not be specifics for each county but priority corridors go across counties. That’s why this initiative, we’re looking to develop some structure to build those initiatives.”
A working group with representation from different subregions, other major trails, and stakeholders could meet as early as December, according to Kagan. “We will be in touch with the planning departments from counties and subregions to ask you if you’d like to participate in a working group.”
Posted: 10/16/2024 11:56:19 AM
Removing transportation barriers to give all residents better access to work, shopping, schools, medical appointments and other places is the focus of a Monmouth County study intended for use by county and local government, state agencies, private developers, and others.
The study, Monmouth PATHS: Access for All, was funded through the NJTPA Subregional Studies Program. It pays particular attention to the needs of the County’s low-income, minority, elderly, young or disabled residents who face the greatest transportation challenges. Among the day-to-day barriers are limited transit connectivity, limited access to information about options, gaps in the sidewalk network, challenging cycling conditions, missing curb ramps, lighting, security concerns, and long crossing distances across wide roadways, among others.
Building upon a data analysis of these and other barriers, the study team gathered extensive input through a technical advisory committee, three meetings of an Experiences Committee (composed of representatives from advocacy and community groups), three public meetings, and an online survey. The survey garnered 617 comments left by 499 respondents.
The study identifies nine strategies to help address the barriers:
- Adopt design standards that support active modes like walking, biking, and scootering for all users.
- Develop multi-modal programs that prioritize mobility for the County’s transportation disadvantaged populations.
- Improve County-wide active mode connections between neighborhoods, land uses, and municipalities.
- Consider improving access to transit by addressing transit stop conditions and first- and last-mile challenges.
- Investigate potential improvements to transit service and explore increasing transit connections to major activity centers to the west of the County.
- Implement policies that encourage mixed-use, multi-modal-supportive development patterns that provide a variety of housing options.
- Improve connections between the County’s transportation disadvantaged populations and critical services necessary for wellness such as healthcare, education, recreation, grocery stores, and pharmacies.
- Improve safety for all roadway users.
- Enhance transportation-supported sustainability and resilience efforts.
Each strategy is presented with a series of tools, 64 in all, that can be used to address the barriers in the County’s various landscapes (transects), identified as rural areas, villages, suburban areas, town centers and shore towns. The findings build upon a previous study, Monmouth Within Reach, which focused on the heavy summer travel in the County by those accessing the Jersey Shore and other tourist destinations.
Examples of recommended measures include construction of sidewalks along street frontages for new development and as part of roadway projects, expanding and updating existing sidewalks, creating segregated bike facilities, adding painted or permanent curb extensions, updating traffic signals to make them more accommodating to pedestrians, adding street trees and furniture, and facilitating bike/scooter sharing (including possibly through public libraries).
The final report is available here.