The increasing fleet of electric trucks servicing the Port of Long Beach will be able to charge at a new depot on Pico Avenue, just north of the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge, which is set to open in mid-2024.
The Californian port is collaborating with Forum Mobility, a provider of zero-emission drayage trucking solutions, to supply 19 dual-port chargers and six single-dispenser chargers at the new station, which can charge heavy-duty electric trucks in around 90 minutes, depending on battery capacity. The depot, located at 260 Pico Avenue, is set to open in the fall of 2024.
“Forum Mobility is taking the next step toward helping the Port achieve its goal of having 100 public charging stations in the Port available for heavy-duty trucks by 2026, which will help us transition away from diesel fuel and move toward a zero-emission future,” stated Mario Cordero, CEO of Port of Long Beach.
Forum Mobility has eight charging depots in advanced phases that will open over the next two years at seaports and along goods transportation corridors throughout California.
Matt LeDucq, CEO and co-founder of Forum Mobility, said, “With the support of the Port of Long Beach, Forum is building the infrastructure for heavy-duty trucks to transition from diesel to electricity.”
He went on to add, “This partnership provides drayage truckers a solution to comply with California Air Resources Board regulations at a convenient location and at a competitive cost. Forum is building a network of charging depots at the ports, along freight corridors and near distribution centers to serve owner-operators and carriers of all sizes in the transition to zero emission vehicles.”
The statement comes as the California Air Resources Board mandates that any new drayage trucks registered to serve the San Pedro Bay ports complex be zero-emissions by 1 January 2024 and that the entire drayage fleet be zero-emissions by 2035.
To help truck drivers transition, the Port of Long Beach is collaborating with the Port of Los Angeles, CARB, and CALSTART to make US$60 million in Clean Truck Fund Rate funding available for vouchers toward the purchase of zero-emission, Class 8 drayage trucks operating within the San Pedro Bay ports complex.
With funds collected by the San Pedro Bay ports, up to US$436,000 per truck is available through the California Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Incentive Project.
