BYD (Build Your Dreams) has delivered a battery-electric 8TT truck to the Port of Oakland. The Class 8 truck was grant-funded by the California Air Resouces Board and will be part of a three-year feasibility study to determine whether zero-emission trucks could replace diesel trucks in port operations.

The truck will be tested for short-haul operations by a major California trucking operator, GSC Logistics, and used to shuttle cargo containers between its depot and Oakland marine terminals. As the largest motor carrier at the port, GSC hauls 120,000 containers of cargo across Northern California and Nevada annually. GSC manages 200 owner-operated trucks each day and currently operates five short-haul company trucks.

By using battery-electric trucks, companies like GSC can lower operating costs while significantly improving air quality through the elimination of pollution caused by diesel trucks. In addition to the cost savings and environmental and health benefits that come from converting to clean battery-electric technology, there are a number of other benefits, such as reduced noise levels along busy trucking routes, notes the announcement.

The Port of Oakland has already significantly reduced diesel pollution through clean truck programs. As its updates it Maritime Air Quality Improvement Plan, zero-emissions technology will be emphasized.

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