Thursday, August 10, 2017

Electric Trucks at Oakland

By Karen Robes Meeks

This September, trucking company GSC Logistics will launch a three-year pilot program to test an all-electric big rig at the Port of Oakland, Calif.

GSC, considered the port’s biggest motor carrier handling the annual equivalent of 100,000 TEUs in Northern California and Nevada, will conduct the testing to see if zero-emission freight hauling is attainable.

The truck, which possesses a 100-mile battery range, will move import containers from the port’s marine terminals to a nearby yard and will be able to plug in at a charging station installed by the company.

“The purpose of the demo is to prove that battery-operated trucks can work in real world applications and port operations,” said GSC CEO Scott Taylor. “Depending on the efficiency, reliability, productivity and economics of battery-powered trucks, GSC would certainly entertain the possibility of integrating them into our fleet in the future,” he said.

This testing is sponsored by the California Air Resources Board, which last year began the zero-emission truck trial and is sponsoring the demonstration of five battery-operated trucks in Southern California in conjunction with the Oakland study.

“We’re out to prove that zero-emission, battery-powered trucks can be used in heavy-duty applications,” said Andy Swanton of subsidiary BYD California, whose company is manufacturing the trucks.