TravelCenters of America to Build One of Nation’s First Publicly Accessible Medium- and Heavy-Duty Truck Charging Stations at Ontario, California travel center

WESTLAKE, OH - TravelCenters of America (TA), part of the bp portfolio, broke ground today on one of the nation’s first publicly accessible medium-and heavy-duty (MHD) truck charging stations at its TA Ontario, California travel center. The charging station, a pilot project in collaboration with the California Energy Commission, supports delivery of bp’s convenience and EV charging strategy.

The truck charging station will have four 400kW chargers, to go live in early 2025, with an additional one MW charger to go live in 2026. It will provide DC ultra-fast charging for up to five trucks simultaneously. The location will also act as an innovation site, allowing bp to test and demonstrate the effectiveness of new technologies, including deploying one of the first available megawatt charger systems, an integrated microgrid generating reliable, renewable power from 250 kilowatts of canopy-mounted solar panels, and a battery energy storage system for up to 1 megawatt hour of power. 

 “This truck charging station is strategically located at the intersection of two of the nation’s busiest highway interstates and is a prime location to serve early-adopter electric truck fleet operators,” said Debi Boffa, TA CEO. “We are proud to take a leading role in bringing this infrastructure to our fleet customers and other professional drivers.”

bp’s acquisition of TA in May 2023 was critical to its transition to an integrated energy company. TA’s strategically located network of highway sites complements bp’s existing predominantly off-highway convenience and mobility business, enabling TA and bp to offer fleets a seamless nationwide service.

Sujay Sharma, CEO bp pulse Americas said, “Charging for trucks and passenger cars at TravelCenters of America locations is a key part of bp pulse’s strategy to bring ultra-fast EV charging to major metros and along key highway corridors across the US.  This project further demonstrates bp pulse and TA’s commitment to support fleet customers and is just the beginning of our endeavors in truck charging to build fast and reliable charging infrastructure to support our EV drivers.”

In 2021, TA, the California Energy Commission, and the Electric Power Research Institute started designs for building an electric truck charging station at TA Ontario. The project aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of public-access charging for battery-electric heavy-duty trucks.

This is just the beginning of TA’s journey to further enable MHD truck charging. Together with bp pulse, TA is planning to develop projects at other Southern California locations while also looking at developing other corridors in the US to support demand for EV truck charging.