Port of L.A., air regulators test electric container tractors
The Port of Los Angeles and South Coast Air Quality Management District have partnered on a demonstration project to use electrically powered tractors to tow cargo containers from the port to local warehouses and rail yards, the port said Friday.
The $527,000 initiative will explore the feasibility of replacing diesel-powered tractors with ultra-clean, electrically powered units. The electric tow tractor demonstration project is the first project to be approved under the recently approved Clean Air Action Plan, approved by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in November, which set aside $15 million for a Technology Advancement Program.
The South Coast AQMD (the air pollution regulation agency responsible for most of Southern California) has committed $48 million to help replace older diesel trucks, in addition to technology advancement projects such as the electric tractor. As part of the Clean Air Action Plan commitment, the port has committed at least $85 million over the next five years for truck replacement and retrofits.
The electric tractor project is expected to be complete in about seven months, with the goals to develop a barebones chassis to test, complete a chassis for initial road tests, and the demonstration phase. The test will gauge whether the tractor can attain fast-charging capabilities, a top speed of 25 mph, a range of 40 miles per charge, and sufficient torque and power to tow a 30-ton container.