Heavy Duty Electric Truck

In 2007, the Port of Los Angeles and South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) partnered to fund the prototype of the world's most powerful short-range heavy-duty electric truck. The agencies split the $527,000 investment to develop and test a heavy-duty truck capable of hauling a fully loaded 40-foot cargo container.
The heavy-duty electric short-haul drayage truck -- the first of its kind at any port worldwide -- can pull a 60,000-pound cargo container, has a top speed of 40 mph, and has a range between 30 to 60 miles per battery charge. The battery power plants on up to four electric trucks can be simultaneously charged within four hours.
In April 2008, the Los Angeles Harbor Commission approved the production of 20 electric yard trucks, or "hostlers," following the successful completion of the cargo terminal tests. The 20 hostlers will be deployed in the Port as part of a "green terminal" program. The program will also include the production of five on-road electric models. Balqon will work with the Port and Department of Transportation to obtain the appropriate certification for on-road use.
In total, the Port is investing more than $5.6 million to test the viability of electric drayage trucks. Future widespread application of a fleet of electric trucks would be especially useful at the Port of Los Angeles because each year more than 4 million 20-foot-equivalent cargo container units (TEUs) are trucked to and from rail facilities and warehouses within 25 miles from the Port.
The Port of Los Angeles is America's premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy as well as the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves. As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates 919,000 regional jobs and $39.1 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars. The Port of Los Angeles - A cleaner port. A brighter future.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• port
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• POLA
• Balqon
• South
• Coast
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• AQMD
• Electric
• Truck

[nephil1977]

I agree with Bill0254. Petroleum is the source for almost all of our synthetic materials: medical equipment, medicines, textiles, and a whole slew of other things. Burning petroleum and other hydrocarbons as fuel is like chucking fistfuls of cash on the fire to keep warm. It's short-sighted and stupid.

[ratryu]

WTH. I've never heard of an electric truck this big. Why wasn't this in the news? Freaking crappy news. So who is going to mass produce these things? This could be a new motor company or they could contract Tesla Motors to do it.

[SittingMooseShaman]

...actually, after having done some exhaustive research n2 the modern(present) science dealing w/electrical motors, batteries, controllers, rare-earth magnet metals& etc. I've done a complete 180 on ALL of my thinking towards electrical motive power! The machines'r turning out 2b quite remarkable, reliable, powerful...& they have LOTS of heat(from batteries & controller) for winter condition found in most of the lower 48 states...as far as the USA is concerned...God bless our garage inventors...

[MrTpengineer]

max speed of 40? why not highway speeds of 50? In case you have to keep up with traffic? Not that you'd want to go fast with a big rig, but jeeze.

[cyberlord64]

@dankinusmc1 nanowire batteries could be the answer. designed to hold up to 10 times more charge than lithium ion batteries. a car with a range of 80+ miles could easily get a range of 600+ miles at the same cost of production.

[dankinusmc1]

A electric vehicle in the class 8 range of vehicles will never be a viable alternative to fossil fuel. In order for a vehicle to be viable in this vehicle class it will need at least 10hr battery life with equal recharge time and weigh no more than what current tractors weigh. I would just like to see cars reach the same fuel efficiency as a class 8(18 wheeler) some day. And remember efficiency is not MPG like a lot of people think.

[Coffee45]

For example, see the Tesla Model S, which is a large heavy sedan that can seat up to seven passengers, that can accelerate from 0-60 in 5.6 seconds (The standard, non sport model), gets a 300 mile range, can charge in 30 minutes with a quick charge station, and has twice as much storage space, and better safety ratings than almost every other sedan. On another note, anyone who supports EVs for environmental issues is obviously not going to support coal power plants.

[Coffee45]

That said, the cost of the batteries used in EVs is rapidly dropping. (It would probably help if Chevron didn't own some battery patents) Electric cars are also more reliable, and require far, far less maintanence. They also allow allow for more freedom in terms of interior and exterior design, without the need for transmissions, large engines, driveshafts, etc. New ones are also starting to outperform internal combustion engine cars.

[Coffee45]

@cst20396 In Canada, we get 58% of our electricity from hydroelectric powerplants. Regardless, an electric car is still more efficient than a gasoline powered car even if it's running on electricity produced by coal power plants, so it's still a step forward; it also helps take foriegn oil out of the picture. Running an electric car is also far cheaper, and the overall cost tends to be much lower over the lifespan of the vehicle, despite a typically higher initial cost.

[SittingMooseShaman]

...Idiot Utopians! Should listen to @TheShuntguy!! He is forced to have to deal w/ these, *" Hollywood Blockheads'('Squares') of Post WW2 Quasi-Nazi(force by party legalism) Psycho-Psy-o-cialists' California Cirque du Politicoleil Fi-ass-cos"... Also: IT DOES NOT SNOW, ICE-UP OR BLIZZARD in LA as it DOES in 7/10ths of the U.S. Quantum-up this tech a bit... Pronto! Then maybe, it'll work. Force-of-'decree' is BS.

* quoted title is- cc some rights res."OutstandingMuuse of SittingMoose, Shaman".

[darelldd]

@cst20396 - yeah, except when it isn't. I grow the fuel for my EV on the roof of my garage. Where does your gasoline come from?