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Zero Emission Technologies

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continue to place great emphasis on green development, urged by community demands for cleaner air and by regulatory pressure to reduce the ports’ “fair share” of air emissions. Although significant emissions reductions have been achieved under the 2006 San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), emissions forecasting conducted by the ports indicate that implementation of all existing CAAP strategies will not fully achieve the ports’ goals. Therefore, the ports consider zero emission technologies that could bring the ports closer to achieving their goals, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil.

For a zero emission technology to be considered a good candidate for advancement by the ports, it must be capable of being implemented successfully and within a reasonable period of time, taking into account economic, environmental, legal, operational, and technological factors. The highlighted projects below describe some of the zero emission technologies being tested and evaluated by the Port.

For more information on zero emission technologies, including technical reports and the Zero Emissions Roadmap, click here.

Heavy-Duty Vehicles (On Road)

  • On-Road Truck (Plug-in)

The world’s first plug-in battery-electric class 8 truck was originally built by Balqon Corporation as a demonstration project co-funded by the Port of Los Angeles and South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). The original truck was powered by lead-acid batteries, however with significant advances in battery technologies and availability, the new version of the truck, Model XE-30, now operates on lithium-ion batteries which have better performance and higher energy density.  The increased energy density and operational efficiencies are expected to result in over a 150 mile range unloaded.  The Port of Los Angeles is beginning in-use testing in short haul applications to see what the truck can do in the real world.

  • On-Road Truck (Hydrogen Fuel Cell)

The Port of Los Angeles is also looking at hydrogen fuel cell technologies to achieve zero emissions.  Through the Technology Advancement Program, the Port of Los Angeles has partnered with the Port of Long Beach and Vision Industries to fund the development and testing of a hydrogen fuel cell powered class 8 truck.  The truck, the Tyranno, is powered by a lithium ion battery that is charged on-board by a hydrogen fuel cell generator.  This truck is expected to achieve 200 miles on a single tank of hydrogen.  The truck is beginning testing with a local drayage company.

Cargo Handling Equipment

  • Yard Tractor (Balqon)

In addition to the XE-30 On-Road Truck, Balqon Corporation also developed a plug-in battery-electric yard tractor.  Just like the XE-30, the latest version of the yard tractor, Model XE-20, operates on lithium-batteries.  Units have been tested at a container storage facility at the port and have been able to achieve over 12 hours of operation on a single charge.  The Port of Los Angeles is now beginning to test six units at marine terminals.

  • Electric Rubber-Tired Gantry Crane (eRTG)

eRTGs run on electric power rather than diesel fuel, which completely eliminates localized air emissions and petroleum use. West Basin Container Terminal modified two existing diesel-powered rubber-tired gantry cranes and installed necessary electric infrastructure to test the overall performance and operational applicability of eRTGs. If successful, the technology would reduce annual NOx emissions by 2.3 tons and PM emissions by 0.06 tons per crane. The technology would also eliminate the use of 10,000 gallons of diesel per crane per year, resulting in equivalent greenhouse gas reductions of 30 metric tons of CO2. In July 2012, the initial testing for the eRTGs was completed. The eRTGs were successful, able to run on full speed without any problems and is now beginning its in-use demonstration.