The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled "SuperTruck Charge" through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), aimed at advancing the Biden Administration's climate and clean energy goals. The initiative is part of the DOE’s broader efforts to build a carbon pollution-free economy by 2035 and a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. Specifically, this FOA supports the development of electrified Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles (MHDVs) and the corresponding charging infrastructure needed to support these vehicles, with an emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improving air quality, and creating a more resilient and equitable energy infrastructure.

MHDVs are currently a significant source of both GHG emissions and air pollutants, which disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities near freight corridors, ports, and distribution hubs. Electrifying this sector is essential to achieving national climate targets. The FOA is designed to accelerate the deployment of high-capacity electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, particularly for class 6-8 battery electric trucks (BETs). These vehicles are responsible for a large share of transportation emissions, and their electrification, along with the necessary charging infrastructure, presents a major opportunity to reduce the U.S.'s carbon footprint and improve public health outcomes.

This FOA highlights the infrastructure challenges currently hindering widespread MHDV electrification. BETs require high-power charging stations that can supply significantly more power than passenger EVs, and installing these stations often involves long lead times due to grid upgrade requirements and the need for complex utility coordination. The DOE seeks to address these challenges by funding projects that develop innovative, replicable charging solutions for both depot-based fleet operations and long-haul routes. The FOA emphasizes the need to integrate distributed energy resources (DERs) like solar and battery storage to alleviate grid impacts and reduce infrastructure costs and timelines.

The two key focus areas of this FOA are:
1. Depot and Hub Charging Solutions: This subtopic supports the development of high-capacity charging installations near logistics hubs, ports, and warehouses. These projects aim to support fleet operators transitioning to electrified vehicles by addressing the high costs and infrastructure needs for operating large-scale depot charging, with a minimum concurrent charging capacity of 8 megawatts (MW) across multiple charging ports.

2. En-route and Long-haul Charging Solutions: This subtopic focuses on installing high-power charging infrastructure along major freight corridors to support long-haul BETs. These installations will require a minimum concurrent charging capability of 8 MW and focus on providing charging infrastructure in rural areas where grid constraints are often greater.

Applicants are required to form teams that include key partners such as truck manufacturers, EV charging equipment manufacturers, fleet operators, and local utility providers. Teams are encouraged to integrate innovative technologies such as Vehicle-Grid Integration (VGI) strategies, bi-directional charging, and microgrids to optimize grid interactions and minimize costs. The projects must demonstrate interoperability with various truck makes and models, ensuring that the infrastructure is adaptable and scalable.

Successful applications will be expected to deliver real-world demonstrations of these charging solutions, validate their interoperability, and assess their scalability for broader national deployment. In addition to the technological innovations, the FOA emphasizes the importance of environmental justice and ensuring that these solutions contribute to equitable clean energy benefits, particularly in disadvantaged and underserved communities.

Special deliverables include participation in DOE-sponsored collaboration activities and data collection to assess the grid impacts of the charging infrastructure. Applicants will also be required to develop an evaluation plan to track performance and ensure that their project contributes valuable insights to the national transition to electrified MHDVs.

Overall, the SuperTruck Charge FOA aims to fill critical gaps in the electrification infrastructure for MHDVs, while supporting the broader goals of decarbonizing transportation and fostering clean energy innovation across the U.S.