Perry, UT: Plug-in power to help truckers reduce the hours their vehicles idle is now available at L.W.'s Pilot Travel Plaza at Exit 362 on I-84/15 in Perry in Northern Utah.
Electrical connections for 24 truck parking spaces have been installed, allowing drivers to operate heating, air conditioning and cab appliances without running the engine during their mandatory 10-hour rest periods.
The Perry location is the latest among 50 truckstops on major freight corridors that are receiving plug-in-power installations through the federally funded Shorepower Truck Electrification Project (STEP), administered jointly by Shorepower Technologies and Cascade Sierra Solutions.
"We want to stay on the cutting edge of truckstop technology," said Brent Miller, owner of L.W.'s Pilot Travel Plaza. "We believe plug-in power is a good thing for the environment and for truckers. We want to support its development."
"Having plug-in power available at L.W.'s Travel Plaza means truckers on a major freight route like I-84 have one more place to make idle reduction a routine part of their travels," added Jeff Kim, president and CEO of Shorepower Technologies. "We're building a network of plug-in locations so that truckers can count on finding places at which they can get a sound, healthful night's rest and save money in the process."
Plug-in power provides benefits to drivers, fleet owners, truckstop operators and communities.
Idling a truck consumes about a gallon of fuel an hour. With diesel fuel at $4 a gallon or more, idling can easily cost $40 per stop. Plug-in power, by contrast, is only $1 an hour, and helps reduce our nation's consumption of imported oil.
Shorepower Technologies now operates more than a dozen plug-in sites; the 50 truckstops to be added under the STEP program are to be in operation by the end of 2012. As part of the STEP program, equipment-purchase incentives are being made available through Cascade Sierra Solutions to about 5,000 vehicle owners who commit to using the hook-ups to reduce engine idling.
Shorepower pedestals provide access to 120 VAC, 208 VAC or 240 VAC power sources, at a rate of $1 per hour, with cable TV available at some locations and wireless Internet for an additional charge. Half of the 50 STEP sites will also offer 480 VAC power for refrigerated trailer units with electric standby capabilities.
