NREL: Mobile Truck Stop Electrification Locator Now Available

Truck drivers can find idle reduction facilities using cell phones and PDAs

September 15, 2009 --

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) expanded its suite of Web-based, fuel-efficiency tools by launching the Mobile Truck Stop Electrification Locator. This comprehensive mobile application helps truck drivers find public truck stops with idle reduction facilities using a cell phone, BlackBerry, or other mobile device.

Nationwide more than 130 truck stop electrification systems allow truckers to "plug in" their vehicles to operate necessary systems without idling the engine. The Mobile Truck Stop Electrification Locator uses well-known, easy-to-navigate Google Maps to generate maps to the five closest electrification sites within 200 miles and lists each site's contact information. Detailed driving directions and an instant phone connection to the station can all be accessed at www.afdc.energy.gov/tse/m/.

"Long-haul trucks average six hours of idling per day, using almost a billion gallons of fuel each year nationwide," said Wendy Dafoe, NREL manager of DOE’s Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center (AFDC) Web site. "By helping drivers take advantage of electrification sites, the mobile locator can help save thousands of dollars per truck in annual fuel costs, while reducing emissions and aiding compliance with local idle reduction regulations."

NREL is partnering with truck stop electrification equipment manufacturers, such as CabAire, Shorepower, IdleAire, and EnviroDock, to collect site locations for the mobile tool. New sites are added as they open, and existing station information is verified annually.

The Mobile Truck Stop Electrification Locator is just one of the fuel-efficiency tools that can be found at the AFDC (www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc) Web site. The Mobile Truck Stop Electrification Locator is based on the Web site’s Truck Stop Electrification Site Locator (www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/locator/tse). It was developed by NREL, which manages the AFDC, and is sponsored by the Clean Cities initiative (www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities), a government-industry partnership sponsored by DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Program. See the AFDC for other mobile and Web-based tools, such as the Alternative Fueling Station Locator and the TransAtlas mapping application.

NREL is DOE's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

Source: DOE