Delivering on its commitment to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure at its facilities, Penske Truck Leasing has opened commercial heavy-duty electric vehicle charging stations with 14 high-speed chargers at four of its existing facilities in Southern California. The company’s near-term plan includes adding at least six more chargers, bringing the total number to 20.

Penske believes these are the first DC fast charging stations in the U.S. designed specifically for heavy-duty commercial electric vehicles.

“We’re committed to being at the forefront of commercial vehicle electrification,” said Brian Hard, president and CEO of Penske. “We are investing to ensure our customers have access to the right vehicles, technology, charging infrastructure and information to help shape the future of mobility in our industry.”

Located throughout Southern California at Penske facilities in San Diego, Chino, Anaheim and La Mirada, the chargers connect directly to a commercial truck’s battery charging system, providing a DC fast charging option for commercial electric fleets. Utilizing 50 kW to 150 kW chargers, this infrastructure will allow Penske to power an all-electric class 8 tractor from zero to 100% charge in less than half a shift.

Penske celebrated its new charging capabilities at its La Mirada facility during a livestream ribbon-cutting event at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach, CA, in April. Daimler Trucks’ electric class 8 Freightliner eCascadia semi-truck was on-hand as part of the charging demonstration.

“We are proud to provide our customers with the ability to quickly and conveniently charge their electric truck fleets at these locations,” said Andrew Cullen, senior vice president of fuels and facilities at Penske. “We’ll continue to add new locations and charging infrastructure to support our customers as our electric fleet continues to grow and the demand for commercial electric vehicles gains momentum.”

Penske Truck Leasing has previously announced the addition of light-duty, medium-duty and heavy-duty commercial electric trucks to its fleets.