Port Transportation Goes Green
Seven years ago the Energy Commission's Tim Olson met entrepreneur Mike Simon to talk about clean transportation fuel ideas for the ports of LA and Long Beach. Shortly afterwards, the Legislature established the Commission's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program and Simon's ElecTruck™ electric drive technology R&D was funded.
Last week -- to the applause of global innovators at Port Tech Expo -- Simon's TransPower USA launched 4 demo electric Class 8 trucks and tractors. Over the next two years, these vehicles will accumulate hundreds of thousands of miles of real-world testing, paving the way for commercial-scale manufacturing of trucks that can dramatically curb greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality in one of the nation's most challenged regions.
Photos by TransPower
