As the U.S. transitions to zero-emission vehicles, the U.S. Department of Energy is funding a two-year effort to build a Northeast Freight Corridors Charging Plan. Led by the utility National Grid and supported by a number of Clean Cities and Communities Coalitions, the Rocky Mountain Institute, the National Renewable Energy Lab and others, the project is mapping out truck charging needs over 3,000 miles of major Northeast U.S. highways, including I-95 and I-90.
Many highways overlap with the existing high-voltage transmission system and identifying likely truck charging sites is a priority. Environmental Justice concerns are central to all the Biden administration’s vehicle electrification grants. That’s why in July, CTC interviewed over 40 New Haven County residents from New Haven, West Haven, and Hamden about their primary modes of transportation and their thoughts on the locations of the trucking charging infrastructure. As Adam of New Haven told us, ‘The more, the better!’.
Survey Results
Clean Transportation Communities of Southern CT is a partner in National Grid’s project team structure, serving on its Environmental Justice Advisory Committee. In order to create an open dialogue, environmental justice is a priority scoring metric – along with state planning priorities, site load forecast, and proximity to infrastructure – to determine the sites that will form the backbone of the plan.
Across 42 responders to clipboard surveys in downtown New Haven, there were 26 primary car users, 13 walkers, 10 cyclists, 7 bus users, and 3 Uber users. The average monthly cost of transportation differed by over $250, with car users spending an average of $297.88 per month, cyclists spending $40, and 6 walkers reported spending $0 each month. Investing in safe routes for all would enable residents to be able to move away from car dependency if they can safely and conveniently move throughout the city. A 2022 study found that the average American spends 16% of their household expenditures on transportation, with low-income households spending an even larger portion on transport. Bus users still have a large transportation cost at $81.42 per month. Reinstating the free bus fare program would attract and retain more ridership, which the state should do if it wants to meet its 2050 goal of reducing carbon emission to 80 percent below 2001 levels.
Over half of the respondents did not use a car as their primary means of transportation, and those who did reported costs as high as $3000 a month. Around 34% of space in New Haven is already dedicated to parking, but residents aren’t eager to have more parking or truck infrastructure take up valuable downtown real estate. A West Haven resident named Sonia told us they were all in for electric truck infrastructure as long the stations “are out of the way. Not in the middle of already crowded infrastructure.” This was a shared sentiment, with respondee Twaha saying, “As long as these stations are away from residential neighborhoods, it must be good.” 13 people thought it was either not important or only somewhat important to have charging infrastructure in underserved communities, but over 20 people felt it was very important that new charging stations do not increase power bills.
Lessons Learned and Looking Forward
As National Grid looks to support DOE’s Justice40 priorities, community members will continue to be part of the planning process to ensure that disadvantaged communities’ energy burden is decreased and their voices are heard. Electric and hydrogen trucking infrastructure has the potential to increase clean energy jobs and increase energy resiliency and democracy for us all..
New Haven County residents want cheaper, more reliable and accessible public transportation options, and charging infrastructure that doesn’t increase electricity prices or take up space downtown. Based on this input and that of communities throughout New England, the Northeast Freight Corridors Charging Plan partners will identify key potential truck charging sites in 2025 and look for more communities to weigh in.
Make sure to sign up for GNHCC’s monthly newsletter to keep informed of the latest news on the shift to cleaner, smarter transportation in CT.