Port is putting electric big rig to work

[Cybergal]

Port is putting electric big rig to work

5/15/08
Daily Breeze, CA

Waymond Banks slid into the driver's seat of a shiny new big rig parked at the Port of Los Angeles and turned the key.
Unlike most trucks operating at the nation's busiest port, this engine was eerily quiet.

Exhaust fumes didn't spew from the tailpipe.
And a gauge indicated that the drayage truck was charged with enough electricity to be able to haul a fully loaded cargo container from the port's shipping terminals to nearby warehouses and rail yards.

"It runs just like a regular big rig, except for the simple fact that it runs on electricity and has no emissions," said Banks, a senior truck driver for the Port of Los Angeles.
"It's nice. It's quiet. And you don't have to worry about filling it up, just charging it up."

After two months of intense testing, port officials are scheduled today to officially roll out the Nautilus E30, a new electric short-haul truck developed by Santa Ana-based Balqon Corp. Port officials hope to eventually expand their "green fleet" of electric vehicles as a way to reduce harmful pollutants generated by port operations.
More here............ http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9277224

[bigredinternational]

Was the battery charged by a solar cell? Unless the electricity comes from solar or from the Hoover dam it more correctly has no "point of use" emissions. In LA it may be that the electricity comes from hydro but the same truck in Iowa is going to be charged by coal and that definately has emissions. They are just emitting a long way away from the truck.

BRI

[lostNfound]

Originally Posted by bigredinternational

Was the battery charged by a solar cell? Unless the electricity comes from solar or from the Hoover dam it more correctly has no "point of use" emissions. In LA it may be that the electricity comes from hydro but the same truck in Iowa is going to be charged by coal and that definately has emissions. They are just emitting a long way away from the truck.

BRI

There you go....

















thinking again!

So many "greenies" forget about the entire environmental cost, including all inputs. Don't get me wrong, I am all for a cleaner environment and reduced energy consumption. I just don't like to jump on the current flavour-of-the-month bandwagon of favour.

[pvwowk]

If it's in LA, then it is probably cleaner. Most of California's electricity comes from natural gas combine cycle. Very efficient and very clean. I think it would be somewhere around twice as carbon efficient for unit mechanical energy...

But if the energy comes from coal... it's probably worse than diesel as far as the environment goes.

From a economic perspective, they're probably saving a lot of money in fuel.

[BobC]

Coal, oil fired, gas power plants never shut down. They continue to emit even in the night during min demand hours.

Regardless of how much they do produce as exhaust, they remain as a constant.

Taking away the extra caused by vehicular exhausts can only improve the air quality by eliminating at least that much.

Frankly, I'm investigating the ev hybrid conversion stuff for my own pruposes. I seem to favor the series aproach where the motor runs a generator which runs the wheel motors.(Like a train)

I'm not in favor of a lot of batterys but I'm also not sure of how much there is to be saved in the series approach.

I might be more inclined, after more reading, to go with a dual approach. This would be an electric motor assisted by electric & regen braking.

I need more input.

[Moses]

Originally Posted by BobC

Coal, oil fired, gas power plants never shut down. They continue to emit even in the night during min demand hours.

Regardless of how much they do produce as exhaust, they remain as a constant.

Taking away the extra caused by vehicular exhausts can only improve the air quality by eliminating at least that much.

Frankly, I'm investigating the ev hybrid conversion stuff for my own pruposes. I seem to favor the series aproach where the motor runs a generator which runs the wheel motors.(Like a train)

I'm not in favor of a lot of batterys but I'm also not sure of how much there is to be saved in the series approach.

I might be more inclined, after more reading, to go with a dual approach. This would be an electric motor assisted by electric & regen braking.

I need more input.

I'm sure the California crowd is all gooey over the electric rig, and they'll probably do something silly like mandate an all-electric fleet by 2010. What's the range on the electric rig? 40 miles loaded?

As far as hybrids go, I wouldn't bother. You're not going to make a machine more efficient by adding weight and complexity. I think the Crower Cycle (six stroke) engine has the most promise, but there's still a few nuts left to crack with that one.

[Mastertech]

Originally Posted by bigredinternational

Was the battery charged by a solar cell? Unless the electricity comes from solar or from the Hoover dam it more correctly has no "point of use" emissions. In LA it may be that the electricity comes from hydro but the same truck in Iowa is going to be charged by coal and that definately has emissions. They are just emitting a long way away from the truck.

BRI

I agree with you completely, and would also think that nuclear power would probably be a good way to charge these vehicles as well.

[Phil1Fla]

well I think that CA will find jobs for all those not so legal citzens they are going to make very big wheels for them to run in..and when they run they will make power for the grid.... and thus power the trucks.

[BrainHurtz]

Problem with LA is its a big bowl that holds in all the #### you pump into the air. Even if the electricity was generated using a 100 year old coal power plant (standard midwest fare) if it was outside the bowl its still better than the cleanest clean diesel. The LA basin has been an EPA non-attainment zone for over 20 years and keeps on getting worse.

LA is a huge mess however, they need to move all the heavy, dirty industry out of that bowl, too bad thats where all the refineries are too...