Port of Los Angeles Awards $6 Million for Zero-Emission Drayage Vehicles – Gas Smarts

Two trucking firms and their truck producer companions are getting an enormous funding increase to hurry up the transition to zero-emission drayage vans serving the Port of Los Angeles.

The Port of Los Angeles has awarded a complete of $6 million in grants, which is able to defray the price of placing 22 pre-production emissions-free fashions in port service throughout 2023.

Gardena-based MLI Leasing and El Segundo-based Efficiency Staff will obtain $3 million every — the utmost funding per trucking firm accessible beneath the Port’s Zero Emission Truck Pilot Program.

Every service has partnered with a truck maker to qualify for the motivation. MLI is working with Peterbilt and investing greater than $3.4 million to supply and deploy 12 battery-electric vans.

Efficiency Staff is working with Volvo and investing greater than $5.6 million to supply and deploy 10 battery-electric vans. Earlier this 12 months, Efficiency Staff ordered 126 Volvo VNR Electrics to service its quick haul warehouse distribution routes. Its full order is scheduled to finish supply by the third quarter of 2023.

All 22 will probably be on the highway inside the coming 12 months. Every car should make a minimum of 50 drayage journeys yearly to Port of Los Angeles terminals. 

The awards, permitted by the Los Angeles Harbor Fee final week, characterize the primary distribution of Clear Truck Fund {dollars} by the Port of Los Angeles since April 1, when the San Pedro Bay ports started accumulating $10 for each loaded 20-foot equal unit (TEU) container transferring by the port by truck. The port expects to boost $45 million inside the first 12 months and every subsequent 12 months based mostly on the present charge.

All CTF revenues will probably be used to supply incentives that speed up the deployment of zero-emission vans serving the San Pedro Bay ports. For the primary three years, the Port has prioritized spending the cash on:

• Truck vouchers
• Help for small fleets and unbiased owner-operators
• Matching funds to assist electrical and clear vitality fueling infrastructure
• Superior truck applied sciences
• Revolutionary ZE idea vans.

Progress will probably be reported yearly.

Extra In regards to the Port’s Clear Truck Fund

The Clear Truck Fund charge is paid by cargo homeowners or their brokers. Zero-emission vans are completely exempt. Vehicles with low emissions of nitrogen oxides (low-NO_x), in accordance with state requirements, are briefly exempt till Dec. 27, 2027, supplied they’re registered within the San Pedro Bay Ports’ Drayage Truck Registry by the tip of 2022.

This system builds on the Port of Los Angeles’ unique Clear Truck Program, which port officers say has performed a vital function in lowering emissions of diesel particulate matter by 84%, sulfur oxides by 95%, and NO_x by 44% from port-related operations since 2005. Extra info on the port’s present Clear Truck Program is offered right here. 

Whereas solely 2007 or newer fashions are presently eligible to name on the port, greater than half are 2014 or newer fashions. Efficient Jan. 1, 2023, all vans calling on the San Pedro Bay ports should be 2010 or newer fashions. 

Nonetheless, 95% of the drayage fleet serving the port complicated runs on diesel. The push to show over the whole fleet to zero-emission fashions by 2035 is predicted to yield better clear air progress, together with lowering greenhouse gasoline emissions from all port-related sources 40% under 1990 ranges by 2030 and 80% under 1990 ranges by 2050, based on the port.

The ports established GHG discount targets within the San Pedro Bay Ports Clear Air Motion Plan 2017 Replace. 

“That is simply one of many incentives we’re providing to speed up zero-emission know-how and drive stakeholder funding,” mentioned Port of Los Angeles Government Director Gene Seroka. “We have now an extended approach to go, however with our non-public and public companions, we will cut back greenhouse gases and meet our 2035 aim of transitioning the whole fleet serving our port complicated to zero-emission vans.”