Terrawatt Infrastructure’s billion-dollar strategy

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May 15, 2025

Neha Palmer, Co-founder and CEO of Terawatt Infrastructure, is on a mission to drive America's electric trucking revolution. She discusses the groundbreaking launch of Terawatt's heavy-duty charging depot in Southern California, a pivotal moment for the industry. Neha dives into the challenges of financing and building an electrified truck market, especially amidst industry skepticism. With a bold plan to create a nationwide charging network from California to Texas, she highlights innovative strategies for site selection and the importance of collaboration in building a sustainable future.

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INSIGHT

Heavy-Duty Truck Electrification Inevitability

Heavy-duty trucks emit a disproportionate share of transportation emissions despite being few in number.
Electrifying these trucks is complex but inevitable, representing a major transportation transition.

INSIGHT

Scale of Investment Needed

Building a nationwide electric truck charging network requires trillion-dollar investments over many years.
Even a few operational sites demand significant capital and coordination.

ANECDOTE

Choosing LAX Site for Rideshare Charging

Terawatt chose LAX for its dense rideshare demand and available real estate with sufficient power.
Power availability from day one was crucial for site feasibility and development speed.

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This week, we're bringing you a special episode of The Green Blueprint, a show about the stories behind first-of-a-kind climate projects. In this episode: Terawatt Power's first commercial electric truck charging depot, which opened in April near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. It was a significant milestone for the industry. So how’d Terawatt pull it off?

Host Lara Pierpoint talks to Terawatt’s founder Neha Palmer about the financing, offtakes, and market demand for electrified trucks. It’s the kind of deep-dive conversation we love to have here on Catalyst, so we think you’ll enjoy it.

In 2021, Neha Palmer co-founced Terrawatt Infrastructure with a bold mission: create the backbone for America's electric trucking revolution.

Within its first year, Terrawatt secured a billion-dollar investment. But as the company developed plans for a nationwide charging network, it confronted the daunting challenge of building infrastructure for an electric truck market that barely existed.

High-profile bankruptcies like Nikola Motors cast long shadows over the sector's viability, raising questions about whether heavy-duty transport can truly be electrified.

In this episode, Lara talks with Neha about how Terrawatt aims to transform freight transport despite market skepticism. Neha explains Terawatt’s strategic approach to site selection, innovative charging designs for fully-loaded trucks, and the vision for a revolutionary California-to-Texas network.

Credits: Hosted by Lara Pierpoint. Produced by Erin Hardick. Edited by Anne Bailey and Stephen Lacey. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is executive editor.

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