TeraWatt Commences Charging Center Construction Near LAX
More than two dozen DC fast chargers, alongside an amenities center and O&M services, will soon be available to EV drivers in Inglewood.
by Christian Lopez
August 9, 2023
One stage (L to R) TeraWatt CEO & cofounder Neha Palmer, California Energy Commissioner Patty Monahan, Inglewood Councilman Eloy Morales Jr., and State Senator for the 35th District of California Steven Bradford, standing together in hardhats as they ceremoniously break ground together.
Photo Christian Lopez
3 min to read
Setting up shop at a closed Cooper Motors repair shop, charging network developer TeraWatt Infrastructure Inc. broke ground on Aug. 8 developing a charging station in Inglewood, near Los Angeles International Airport. This comes as part of TeraWatt's plan to expand their charging network not just for light-duty fleets, but for medium and heavy-duty as well.
The site is set to begin construction within the next few months and is estimated to be finished come spring 2024. Once finished, it will offer O&M services, and hold 26 Terra 184 all-in-one DC fast chargers, delivering a full charge to light-duty fleets in around half an hour due to its 180kW capacity.
“Time is money for these types of operations, and really helping push forth this transition to zero-emission vehicles coming in and out of the city of Inglewood, LAX, and ride-hail drivers all across the region,” said Neha Palmer, CEO/co-founder of TeraWatt.
The run-down repair shop will be completely overhauled, with help from engineering company Black and Veatch to allow for the charging stations as well as a driver amenities building.
Left poster showing the closed repair shop, and the right poster showing the future designs for the site, estimated to be finished by Spring of 2024.
Photo: Christian Lopez/Canva
This marks the result of a massive collaboration between TeraWatt and multiple partners, including the electric car ride-hail service Kaptyn and power company Southern California Edison, along with the California Energy Commission funding $2 million into it through the Charging Access for Reliable On-Demand Transportation Services (CARTS) grant.
CARTS seeks to fund and support projects seeking to promote charging solutions to high-milage transportation services.
The high traffic in the area and being only three miles away from one of the busiest airports in the world is what made this plot in Inglewood an ideal property not just to TeraWatt, but for Kaptyn and their transportation services as well.
Ad Loading...
Gury Singh, a driver success manager at Kaptyn, said how Kaptyn and TeraWatt have been cooperating together for over a year now to combine and strengthen their successes in charging solutions and EV ride services.
This site also helps with the more long-term plans that the state of California has in store.
“We’re moving towards something, the 0% emissions vehicle by 2035, we all have to do our part,” said Inglewood Councilman Eloy Morales Jr. “In a community like ours, we need to educate our young folks to help them understand and be part of that change, and without these kinds of developments, who knows they even exist?”
A display Terra-184 all-in-one charger next to a Tesla from ride-hailing company Kaptyn.
Photo: Christian Lopez
This was referencing Governor Newsom’s Advanced Clean Cars II plan, which seeks to rapidly reduce emissions by making all new vehicle sales in California all-electric by 2035.
Inglewood is not TeraWatt’s only location, as the company recently opened a charging center in Las Vegas, and they have expressed plans of expanding even more in the SoCal area as well as South Florida in the future.
AI is no longer a future concept for fleets—it’s already embedded in the tools, data, and decisions that operators rely on every day. In this episode of the Fleet Forward Podcast, recorded live at Fleet Forward, industry leaders take the conversation beyond hype to examine what responsible AI adoption really looks like in fleet operations.
As fleets rethink how they capture, manage, and act on vehicle data, telematics is at a major inflection point. In this episode of the Fleet Forward Podcast, we dive deep into one of the most pressing questions facing fleet leaders today: Should you rely on OEM factory-installed connectivity, aftermarket devices, or a hybrid of both?
Experts from telematics analytics, fleet-as-a-service operations, and national EV benchmarking share how real-time data is reshaping fleet strategy—dispelling assumptions, validating best practices, and exposing costly missteps.
A powerhouse panel featuring experts from the American Automotive Leasing Association, CalSTART, and municipal fleet leadership dives into the realities of navigating shifting emissions rules, regulatory waivers, federal agency actions, the future of the EPA’s endangerment finding, and the push for unified standards. They also examine the impacts of tariffs, autonomous vehicle policy, battery innovation, and the accelerating global EV market.
This episode kicks off with a deep dive into the technologies and market forces reshaping today’s fleet landscape. Host Chris Brown is joined by Laolu Adeola (Leke Services), Tyson Jomini (J.D. Power), and Richard Hall (ZappiRide) to break down real-world data, shifting incentives, and practical strategies fleet leaders can use right now.
In the middle of natural disasters fleet managers must shift priorities to protect people and assets. What policy items should be loosened, and when should the line be held?
In this episode, fleet leaders from municipal, university, and private-sector organizations share a candid EV reality check. From infrastructure setbacks and policy whiplash to grant funding, total cost of ownership, and charging resiliency, this conversation dives into what it actually takes to scale electrification in the real world.
After a decade of lagging compensation, fleet manager pay is climbing. But expanding responsibilities, larger fleets, and growing complexity continue to redefine the role.
