A developer of electric vehicle charging infrastructure who is proposing a zero-emissions truck stop in west National City hopes to address public concerns about safety, particularly the risk of fires, at an meeting.
Skychargers, LLC (Skycharger) has scheduled a community meeting on Thursday from 6-7:30 p.m. at the National City Aquatic Center in Pepper Park. Attendees will have the opportunity to receive project updates and a safety briefing, offer and do an electric truck ride-along.
“We’re looking forward to listening, sharing information, and answering questions about safety and what this clean energy project means for National City,” Andy Karetsky, president of Skycharger, said in a statement.
Skycharger is looking to build and operate an electric-truck charging station on a 5-acre parcel at 19th Street and Tidelands Avenue, adjacent to the National City Marine Terminal, that is owned by the Port of San Diego. The “eHub” would offer charging ports for 70 medium- to heavy-duty electric trucks. Ports would be powered in part by 1.75 megawatts of solar with a battery system of up to 2.5 megawatts.
Plans also consist of adding a restroom facility and a Just Walk Out store, one of Amazon’s new cashier-less convenience stores that automatically charges customers via their Amazon s without the need to check out.
Earlier last year, Skycharger entered into negotiations with the Port of San Diego to develop the truck stop. The proposal is currently under environmental review, which Port commissioners must approve along with for a 20-year lease and a Coastal Development permit before any construction can take place. Skycharger is also developing a “try before you buy” program to help truck drivers transition from diesel to cleaner vehicles.
The eHub aims to the Port’s Maritime Clean Air Strategy, which includes goals such as reaching full zero emissions truck trips by the end of 2030.
According to Skycharger, the eHub will reduce harmful diesel emissions near National City communities that have historically been among the most impacted by Port operations.
Projected reductions in toxic emissions, the developer added, over the 20-year lease period include more than 825,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. That’s equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions from 192,400 gasoline-powered cars driven for one year or 2 natural gas-fired power plants in one year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator.
JoAnn Fields, a local advocate of Asian American Pacific Islander communities, said several residents have expressed concerns that the project will bring more truck trips to a region already impacted by industrial pollution and pose a risk of fires associated with lithium-ion batteries. She’s encouraging the public to attend Thursday’s meeting to learn more about the developer’s fire risk planning.
John Friedrich, Skycharger’s chief development officer, said the project will be on an existing truck route, and added that the odds of a fire breaking out “is very small.” Lithium-ion battery fires have become more frequent in recent years, including at battery storage facilities in parts of San Diego County, which can generate hundreds of megawatts.
Some of those facilities, whose main job is energy storage, “are much larger” than the proposed eHub, Friedrich said.
“Here, the primary purpose is providing charging for clean, electric trucks to replace dirty diesel trucks and the batteries are put in place as a resilience measure to help store clean energy from the solar array,” he said. National City fire officials, he added, will present their safety protocols at the meeting.
Pepper Park is located at 3300 Pepper Park Pl. Translations in Spanish and Tagalog will be available at the meeting. Those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP here.
