Electrification 101: Enabling Truck Charging with Flexible Service Connections

The briefing examines the grid constraints facing electric truck charging depots, which often require 5–10 MW per site and have shorter development timelines than traditional large loads. It proposes 'flexible service connections'—agreements where utilities provide higher power capacity during off-peak periods in exchange for managed consumption—as a solution to avoid costly and slow infrastructure upgrades. RMI analysis indicates that many fleets in California and New York can shift charging to overnight or solar-peak hours without altering operations, potentially reducing capital costs by 40% to 70%. The document highlights pilots by National Grid, Southern California Edison, and PG&E, noting that PG&E's Flex Connect program enabled PepsiCo to expand its electric fleet 18 months faster than conventional planning, saving an estimated $1 million in fuel costs.

• Traditional utility load-planning evaluates new connections based on the single highest-demand load hour of the year, which often leads to multi-year delays and high costs for site owners if the request exceeds available headroom during that peak.
• Electric truck charging depots present unique grid challenges because they require significant power (5–10 MW per site) and have development timelines of only a few months, which is much faster than the years utilities typically require for planning and constructing upgrades.
• Flexible service connections allow fleets to access latent grid capacity by agreeing to adjust energy use according to a utility's schedule, which can be used as a temporary bridge to upgrades or a permanent solution to defer capital investments.
• RMI analysis of telematic data from New York and California suggests that fleets can shift to overnight or peak solar charging without changing operational schedules, potentially reducing capital costs by 40% to 70% through optimized charger sizing.
• Utilities including National Grid, Southern California Edison, and PG&E are piloting these connections; specifically, PG&E's Flex Connect program allowed PepsiCo to increase its electric truck count from 30 to 50 vehicles 18 months faster than usual, saving approximately $1 million in fuel.

APA

RMI (2025). Electrification 101: Enabling Truck Charging with Flexible Service Connections. https://rmi.org/resources/electrification-101-enabling-truck-charging-with-flexible-service-connections/

Chicago

RMI. Electrification 101: Enabling Truck Charging with Flexible Service Connections. 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/electrification-101-enabling-truck-charging-with-flexible-service-connections/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Electrification 101: Enabling Truck Charging with Flexible Service Connections |date=18 November 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/electrification-101-enabling-truck-charging-with-flexible-service-connections/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2025electrification, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Electrification 101: Enabling Truck Charging with Flexible Service Connections}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/electrification-101-enabling-truck-charging-with-flexible-service-connections/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }