Port of Los Angeles to Work with Vision Industries to Evaluate Zero-Emission Hybrid-Electric Trucks

Expanding its commitment to bringing cutting-edge, zero-emission solutions to port operations, the Port of Los Angeles is entering into negotiations with Los Angeles-based Vision Industries for the purchase and evaluation of Vision's hydrogen fuel cell hybrid-electric trucks. The heavy-duty big-rigs will be tested to evaluate their suitability for short and medium distance cargo-hauling (or "drayage") operations, and other similar applications.

Vision Industries has been marketing its Class 8 zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell hybrid-electric truck for more than a year and will now work with the Port of Los Angeles to further evaluate its performance in the rigorous port trucking environment. The Vision trucks are powered by a combination of a hydrogen fuel cell and lithium batteries and have a potential range of up to 400 miles.

Looking forward, the Port of Los Angeles believes that zero emission vehicles will be necessary in coming years in order to contribute to achieving the goals for the transportation and port sectors under California's AB32 greenhouse gas reduction legislation and the City's GreenLA initiative. This has led the Port to begin planning for a transition to zero emission vehicles over the next decade.

The Vision Industries trucks will be put through a series of on-road and laboratory tests to demonstrate its usefulness in a variety of drayage duty cycles, including different loads, road conditions and travel distances. Local drayage trucking companies are expected to assist with the demonstration over the next 12 to 18 months, and the University of California at Riverside's College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) laboratories will help guide the data collection and analysis.

http://losangeles.dbusinessnews.com/viewnews.php?article=bwire/20100115005188r1.xml

Source: Port of Los Angeles