Utah truck stop offers electrification

R Place Truckers Plaza on Interstate 80, exit 1/410 at Wendover, Utah, is the latest truck stop to offer electrification as part of the Shorepower Truck Electrification Project.

The AMBEST facility at the Nevada border will have a ceremony Oct. 13 with demonstrations, food specials and giveaways.

In addition to 32 Shorepower Technologies electrified parking spaces, R Place features a convenience store, laundry and several eateries.

The Shorepower Truck Electrification Project is a U.S. Department of Energy program that aims to finance more than 1,200 electrified parking spaces at 50 truck stops nationally by 2013. Other STEP locations are at Baker Truck Corral on I-84 near Baker City, Ore., with 24 electrified spaces, and Shoemaker’s Travel Center on I-80 in Lincoln, Neb., also offering 24 electrified parking spaces.

Another STEP program provides $10 million in idle-reduction rebates for devices on medium and heavy-duty trucks that incorporate standby electricity operation or battery power to reduce engine idling. Rebates of up to 20 percent are offered toward the purchase price of equipment such as auxiliary power units and gen-sets. The program is managed by Cascade Sierra Solutions.

Shorepower’s 5-year goal is to have at least 250 TSE locations along major interstates throughout the U.S.