A grand opening ceremony was held recently at the Pilot Flying J Travel Plaza in Frazier Park/Lebec, CA, to recognize the completion of the nation’s first anti-idling corridor.
Drivers traveling U.S. Interstate 5 and parallel State Route 99 can now travel from Seattle to San Diego and get full rest without the need to idle their vehicles.
“I-5 was the first of 10 interstate corridors targeted for increased availability of this anti-idling technology,” said Alan Bates, vice president of marketing for Shorepower Technologies. “Now it becomes the first freight corridor in the nation where drivers can travel its entire length and get relief from high fuel bills and the noise and air pollution created by truck engines left running.”
Power pedestals are now installed at the Pilot Flying J Travel Plaza in Lebec along with five other truckstops and travel centers in California, three in Oregon and one in Washington. Lebec is 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Seven of the 10 Shorepower Technologies locations also provide connections to 480-volt power for hybrid-refrigerated trailers, (eTRU).
The Shorepower Technologies locations join other truckstop electrification (TSE) sites along the I-5 corridor.
Shorepower pedestals provide access to 120-volt, 208-volt or 240-volt power sources, at a rate of $1 per hour, with cable TV available at a number of locations.
The $1 an hour rate for shore power compares favorably to the $4/gal. of diesel fuel it takes to idle a truck for an hour, Shorepower said.
There are more than 50 locations around the country that have been outfitted by Shorepower Technologies. Shorepower provided most of the electrical pedestals through the Department of Energy’s Shorepower Truck Electrification Project (STEP) — administered through Cascade Sierra Solutions, a non-profit based in Eugene, Ore. Half of the 50 STEP sites also offer 480-volt power for refrigerated trailer units with electric standby capabilities.
“As travel times and vehicle emissions increase due to heavier traffic congestion on the I-5 corridor in the years to come, truck and fleet operators will be under ever-increasing financial, regulatory and societal pressure to reduce their engine idling significantly,” Bates said. “That’s why we believe use of these sites will continue to increase and drivers will demand the service at more locations.”
The TSE locations along the I-5 corridor are (from north to south – near Interstate 5 exits, unless otherwise noted):
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Gee Cee’s Truck Stop, Exit 57, 123 Foster Creek Rd., Toledo, Wash. 98591 — 24 plug-ins.
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Jubitz Travel Center, Exit 307, 33 N.E. Middlefield Road, Portland, Ore. 97211 – 24 plug-ins.
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Truck ‘N Travel/TA, Exit 199, 32910 E. Pearl St., Coburg, Ore. 97408 — 24 plug-ins.
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Seven Feathers Truck and Travel, Exit 99, 130 Jeffreys Road, Canyonville, Ore. 97417 — 36 plug-ins and six 480-volt refrigeration unit connections.
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Pilot Travel Center, Exit 745, 395 E. Vista Dr., Weed, Calif. 96094 — 36 plug-ins and nine 480-volt refrigeration unit connections.
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Pilot Travel Center, County Road 8/Exit 554, 30035 County Road 8, Dunnigan, Calif. 95937 — 24 plug-ins and five 480-volt refrigeration unit connections.
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Sacramento 49er Travel Plaza, 2828 El Centro Road, Sacramento, Calif. 95833. This non-Shorepower Technologies TSE location is near the Interstate 80 and Interstate 5 interchange, Exit 522.
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Flying J Travel Plaza, Exit 485, 15100 N. Thornton Road, Lodi, Calif. 95242 — 36 plug-ins and five 480-volt refrigeration unit connections.
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Pilot Travel Center, 22717 Ave. 18 1Ž2 Suite A, Madera, Calif. 93637. This non-Shorepower Technologies TSE location is located near Exit 159 on California State Route 99 about 60 miles east of Exit 403 on Interstate 5.
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Love’s Travel Stops, 1553 Colony Rd., Suite B, Ripon Calif. 95366. This non-Shorepower Technologies TSE location is 11 miles east of the Interstate 5 and Highway 120 interchange.
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E-Z Trip Golden State, 6725 N. Golden State Blvd., Fresno, Calif. 93722 — 24 plug-ins and five 480-volt refrigeration unit connections. E-Z Trip Golden State is located near Exit 142/3 on California State Route 99, about 50 miles east of Exit 368 on Interstate 5.
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Flying J Travel Plaza – Bakersfield, 17047 Zachary Ave., Bakersfield, Calif. 93308 — 36 plug-ins and five 480-volt refrigeration unit connections. This Shorepower Technologies location is near Exit 39/Merced Avenue on California State Route 99, about 31 miles southeast of Exit 278/California 46 East/Paso Robles Highway on Interstate 5.
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Bruce’s Truck Stop, 8401 E. Brundage Lane, Bakersfield, Calif. 93307. This non-Shorepower Technologies TSE location is 30 miles east of Exit 253 on Interstate 5.
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Flying J Travel Plaza, Exit 205, 42810 Frazier Mountain Park Road, Frazier Park/Lebec, Calif. 93243 — 24 plug-ins and five 480-volt refrigeration unit connections.
