All the Comforts of Home, for a Couple Bucks an Hour

Even at about five bucks an hour, idling a big diesel is still cheaper than most motels, but somehow it seems easier to pay a steeper fuel bill than to tote a note on a key-off climate control system. The payback on an APU or similar system is a no-brainer, but the upfront costs remain a burden. So what if you could have on-board climate control for a couple of bucks an hour, pay-as-you-play, with no big downstroke, and no extra weight or maintenance?

Truckstop electrification is an idea whose time may have finally arrived. A ready supply of 110-volt AC power is all that's needed to run small appliances, space heaters, dehumidifiers, or even portable room air conditioners. All you need is a place to plug in, and now we have that too. Not the cumbersome and pricey overhead gantry with the window mounted cash machine you're probably all familiar with, but a clean and simple source of 110-volt AC power.

Shorepower Technologies, Inc. of Rome, N.Y. is a spin-off from an engineering consulting group that was examining off-board electrified truckstop parking offerings (like IdleAire). The consultants concluded that IdleAire's infrastructure-intensive set up was unsustainable and decided to bring a much simpler product to market.

Shorepower Technologies uses a single well-protected steel pedestal installed between two or four parking spaces, wired for up to four users with 110-volt power outlets and connections for cable television and Internet. Depending on the size and scope of the installation, the infrastructure cost could be as low as 10 percent of the price of an IdleAire installation.

"Each Shorepower connection comes in at a quarter of the cost of an ‘off board' TSE [Truck Stop Electrification] parking space," says Jeff Kim, Shorepower Technologies' chief operating officer. "But that does not tell the whole story. Generally, our competitors [IdleAire] require a 75- to 100-parking space minimum to be viable. We can do facilities with fewer than 25 parking spaces under certain circumstances. A small Shorepower facility can cost as little as $100,000 depending on site-specific issues, whereas an ‘off-board' TSE facility can cost $1 million or more."

The Horse Before the Cart
As Shorepower was developing its business model back in 2005, skeptics were saying there weren't enough trucks on the road fitted with the necessary wiring and inverters to support a standalone system. Shorepower's market research revealed around 20 percent of trucks have shorepower capacity today, but few take full advantage of it because the key component - local source of 110-volt AC power - hasn't been available.

"Once you have 110-volt power, the truck becomes a mini apartment. You can set up the vehicle with outlets and an inverter, or you can simply pass an extension cord through the door," says Kim.

Existing Shorepower Technologies sites in the U.S. (there are currently six in operation in Oregon and Washington) offer rentals and sales of all the necessary gear, including 25-ft, 20-amp extension cords, a 20-amp load center with breaker and ground fault (GFCI) protection, and 1,500 watt portable heaters with fans and an overheat safety switch. Or, the driver can pack his own gear, which could include a portable air conditioner or dehumidifier for summer comfort.

Of course, the 110-volt power supply will also run any entertainment system, computer, or small appliance, reducing the need for an inverter. The more complex OE and aftermarket shore-power hook-up kits that are available include a cab-mounted AC/DC inverter, wiring harnesses, voltage regulators, thermal protection, etc., which can be used to power the vehicle lighting and air circulation fans, without fear of draining the starting batteries or causing a fire.

Truckers traditionally haven't relied on sources of 110-volt power, because it hasn't been readily available. If a broad enough network of powered parking spaces existed, truckers could be inclined to change their ways, Kim believes.

"The technology is there and the demand is there, but there remains the chicken and egg conundrum. Would more drivers use a 110-volt hook up were it more widely available? Would these installations be more widely available if more truckers were demanding them?"

Innovative Business Model
The six existing truckstop installations are in a revenue-sharing arrangement with Shorepower Technologies. The company paid the initial installation charges, and covers the monthly power bills and utility costs through a series of grants and energy tax credits from agencies like the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, The Climate Trust, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and the Oregon Department of Energy.

"There's literally zero cost to the truckstop," Kim says, "but we still share a small portion of the revenue stream with them."

They also offer a model where the truckstop operator buys the equipment outright and pays Shorepower Technologies a small maintenance and marketing fee.

"We keep the system operational, they collect the majority of the hourly charges," Kim claims. "Depending on the truckstop facility, the charges can be as low as a dollar an hour for the power and a TV and Internet connection."

No similar program exists in Canada, but Kim says they had discussions with National Resources Canada (NRCAN) several years ago. NRCAN and Transport Canada are once again exploring alternatives to heavy truck idling and truckstop electrification is on the table for discussion. How far it gets beyond discussion is anyone's guess.

And there still is the question of the actual greenhouse gas reduction potential of such a system, given that a truck running an onboard 110-volt AC heater or cooler still consumes electrical energy.

"Of course there are upstream emissions," Kim acknowledges. "But any source of grid-based power is preferable to an idling diesel engine. Even the worst coal burning power plant would produce fewer demand-based emissions than an idling truck."

If nothing else, electrification will make truckstops cleaner and quieter places to spend the night.

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