Highlights:
It takes a reliable connection to power America’s move to electric vehicles, from coast-to-coast — and beyond.
Enter ICAT Logistics Detroit.
Customers plugged into the ICAT team for a logistics solution to ship oversized EV charging stations to Hawaii and Puerto Rico from California. The assignment called for experience with bulky freight and expertise in ocean shipping.
ICAT turned to Joel Fischer-Colombo, our ocean export specialist with 37 years’ experience, to devise distinct plans for shipping the island-bound EV stations.
Challenge:
Forecasts suggest half the vehicles on Hawaii’s roads will be electric by 2045. That’s a half-million vehicles. The auto industry estimates 50 percent of all cars in circulation in Puerto Rico will be electric by 2030.
The need for EV charging stations is picking up speed.
Government and military users are among the early adopters, with each turning to ICAT for delivery strategies.
The Hawaii shipment to a military installation called for 10 units—each 18 feet long, 11 feet wide and 10 feet tall — that did not fit neatly into containers.
The delivery to Puerto Rico was for 12 units to five locations of a federal agency.
Solution:
To forward the charging stations from California to the islands, Joel drew upon his decades of acquired knowledge about ocean shipping and carriers.
His industry awareness paid off for customers. He quickly identified the most efficient, cost-effective carrier for the Hawaii shipment and arranged the choreography for ports on the West Coast and Hilo.
For Puerto Rico, Fischer-Colombo worked with a longtime contact in Jacksonville, Fla., to arrange for trucks arriving from California to drive onto barges and deposit trailers carrying charging stations. The maneuver eliminated expensive loading and unloading and cut customer cost by 30 percent.
Big Picture:
At ICAT, we are continuously applying time-tested best practices for logistics and freight forwarding to new products and new markets.
“There’s no substitute for what we can provide, based on our experience and contacts,” said Fischer-Colombo. “Regardless of size, weight, shape or destination, we have the know-how and wherewithal to deliver the best results.”