On the heels of the California Air Resource Board mandating zero-emissions Class 8 vehicles in August, trucking fleets are quickly pivoting away from diesel. Operating out of the Port of Long Beach, 4 Gen Logistics recently committed to swapping out its assets for Volvo and Kenworth electric vehicles.
“The port wants to be the greenest in the world, so we made a commitment all the way back in 2008. We also see customer demand for it,” David Duncan, the fourth-generation owner of 4 Gen, reportedly said. “4 Gen Logistics will have a 100 percent zero-emission fleet starting in 2025, 10 years before it is required.”
The California Air Resource Board’s measure requires all drayage trucks in the state to achieve zero emissions by 2035 and other commercial vehicles to meet the standard by 2045. The guidelines are in synch with those already in place at the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles.
The family-owned 4 Gen Logistics has been hauling freight for nearly 80 years and possesses a fleet of 60 rigs, four of which are electric. The organization recently placed orders for 41 Volvo and 20 Kenworth electric tractors that are expected to be delivered over the next few years. Demand for zero-emissions commercial vehicles continues to run high as states such as California enact more stringent measures. Like other manufacturers, electric truck-makers have fallen behind orders and the costs are weighty.
A new battery-electric Class 8 runs upwards of $450,000, compared to diesel which hovers around $150,000. California has put several incentives in place to reduce the cost to businesses. Companies that qualify for grants can drive the cost of a new electric truck down close to a diesel rig, in many cases. But the taxpayer cost of supplementing the change over seems to make sense for Californians. That’s largely because the state suffers debilitating pollution.
“It’s no secret that Southern California suffers from some of the worst air pollution in the nation,” Gideon Kracov, an Air Quality Management District board member, reportedly said. “So, every day, (we) are working to find innovative and practical solutions to reduce air pollution and protect the health of the millions of people we serve.”
The South Coast Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Committee has also reportedly provided $7 million to create charging infrastructure through Electrify America. The outfit plans to erect sizable multi-watt battery energy storage systems at the Port of Long Beach, among others. Energy would be stored during off-peak periods to reduce strain on the grid during the summer months. California continues to suffer blackouts, brownouts, and bans on electricity use. Residents were asked to not charge electric vehicles over Labor Day Weekend.
Transitioning to zero-emissions rigs will likely reduce air pollution. However, the Volvos have a range of 220 miles with the Kenworths managing only 150 per charge. The trucks would be down for 3-hour recharging periods after each run, resulting in rising freight rates passed along to consumers.
Source: lbbusinessjournal.com
Re plant the forest where supposed be. Quit clearing massive areas for useless housing developments. Just basically plant a crap load trees. That would be a major start in better air quality
with the hot heat conditions in california . electric car owners were told to not recharge their cars
seems to me calfornia should take this as a hint of things to come,
another thing i saw of a long line of electric cars stuck idilling on a snow covered road
the caption goes how would you like to be stuck on this road idling your vehicle. how do you maintain power needed when your stuck in a long line of vehicles for a long time. and the power grid cant even handle all the vehicles being recharged plus the normal everyday things that power is needed for . its a stupid bet to so far so so fast putting electric vehicles as the main source of travel . i drove 868 miles in one day going on vacatioin . how well would that be running out of power in electric an electric car while youre on vacatioh
Put the cart before the horse as usual The fruit loop state not think things out.First you put inferstucktor in place but mo California going jam down u throat stupidity.The electric grid can not handle it,first add powwr plants most likely solar and yes coal burning and u still not have enough even with wind feberators