The Port of Los Angeles on Monday announced the debut of five hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles and two hydrogen fueling stations as part of an $82.5 million project to expand its use of near-zero and zero-emissions equipment as part of its Clean Air Action Plan.
The Shore-To-Shore project is funded by public and private sector partners and includes a 12-month demonstration of zero-emissions Class 8 trucks and the purchase of five hydrogen-fueled heavy-duty trucks, two battery-electric yard tractors and two battery-electric forklifts. The port's Clean Air Action Plan aims to use 100% zero-emission trucks by 2035 to help combat climate change and pollution.
The Shore-To-Shore project is one of 16 projects underway to accelerate near-zero and zero-emissions solutions for moving cargo at the port.
"Transporting goods between our port and the Inland Empire is the first leg of this next journey toward a zero-emissions future," Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said.
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"This project is a model for developing and commercializing the next generation of clean trucks and cargo-handling equipment for the region and beyond. Just as the air we breathe extends beyond the port's footprint so should the clean air and economic benefits we believe this project will yield."
The port's powertrain fuel cell electric power supply system was developed by Toyota Motor North America, and Kenworth Truck Company designed and built the Class 8 trucks on that fuel system.
"The innovative Shore-to-Store program is helping pave the way toward commercialization of fuel cell electric technology in the transportation sector," said Bob Carter, executive vice president of sales at Toyota Motor North America.
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"By utilizing this technology, port operators like our own Toyota Logistics Services can utilize a zero-emissions and scalable solution for CO2 reductions, which will contribute to cleaner air at the port and the surrounding communities where TLS operates. This is an important milestone in Toyota's drive toward carbon neutrality."
The high-capacity hydrogen fueling stations, located in Wilmington and Ontario, were designed and built by Shell Oil, which will also operate them.
The project is funded in part by the California Air Resources Board, which matched costs with a $41.4 million grant. The other $41.4 million is funded by the project's public and private partners.
"For generations, neighborhoods located next to high volume traffic corridors have experienced disproportionately high rates of air pollution and pollution-related illness, particularly in the greater Los Angeles region," California Air Resources Board Deputy Executive Officer Craig Segall said.
"We are working steadily to change this trajectory by helping to fund, support and promote comprehensive efforts like the Port of LA's Shore-to-Store Project that will run cleaner and quieter trucks that will substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower smog-forming emissions as well," he said. "It's a sizable investment in a project with the potential to radically transform how we move freight in one of the most populous regions in the U.S."
