International:
Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in US surpass 100 renewable fueled trucks
Visionary port trucking companies of Southern California have hit a new milestone with over 100 trucks outfitted with the cleanest ultra-low NOx engines available now operating in the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach. The vehicles are equipped with the ultralow-NOx Cummins Westport (CWI) ISX12N engine and fueled with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. Redeem™ renewable natural gas. The CWI ISX12N achieves the lowest emission levels in North America while delivering outstanding performance and reliability. It is certified by California Air Resources Board (CARB) to reduce smog-forming NOx emissions by 90% compared to the current engine standard, and by 98% when compared to the almost 8,000 older diesel trucks operating in the ports today.
The Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), adopted by the San Pedro Bay Ports in 2017, called for the transformation of trucking away from diesel and this change is now underway. These leading companies include Overseas Freight, Total Transportation Services, Pacific 9 Transportation, 4 Gen Logistics, Orange Avenue Express, NFI industries, Green Fleet Systems, MDB Transportation, Green Trucking LLC, West Coast Trucking, and Tradelink Transportation.
The CARB has approved a $533 million plan for clean transportation investments which will promote clean vehicle technologies such as natural gas trucks. “California is backing up our tough vehicle regulations with money to help individuals and businesses access the newest, cleanest technology,” said Mary Nichols, CARB Chair. “It will take a mix of incentives and mandates to meet public health and climate goals. We need to speed up the pace of change, and these investments play an important role in assuring the state remains home to the nation’s largest fleet of advanced vehicles.”
“Switching to trucks fueled with renewable natural gas is vital to improving air quality and fighting climate change in our country’s largest port complex.” said Greg Roche, vice president, Clean Energy. “This is a prime example of fleets taking action that immediately decreases the environmental impact of their operations. Switching to cleaner fuel and engine technologies is reducing air and climate pollution and helping the region achieve its clean air goals.”
Clean Energy and CWI recently concluded a demonstration of 20 Class 8 trucks outfitted with the Cummins ISX12N engine and fueled with Redeem. The project was funded by Clean Energy, CARB, the California Energy Commission (CEC), and South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). The project followed seven companies evaluating the technology in the demanding duty cycles, and confirmed the ISX12N paired with biomethane can successfully perform port drayage and regional trucking while providing the most cost-effective and affordable solution.
The 20 trucks traveled over 800,000 miles, moving goods throughout the southern California region from the ports to Commerce, Fontana, Riverside, Moreno Valley, San Diego, the Central Valley and other typical port container destinations. Several of the participating fleets have either already purchased additional ultra-low NOx trucks or plan to do so.