The Port of Los Angeles is taking hydrogen fuel-cell electric-vehicle (FCEV) trucks seriously as a way to decarbonise the movement of goods. Earlier this month, the port took delivery of five class 8 heavy duty FCEV haulers co-manufactured by US-based Kenworth and Japan's Toyota. Another five are still to be delivered.

The new haulers from part of the Port of Los Angeles’ Clean Air Action Plan, which seeks to eliminate port emissions from myriad short-haul vehicles—everything from port handling equipment to harbour trucks—by 2030.

Chris Cannon, director of environmental management at the Port of LA, says that although hydrogen costs are still high and need to come down, the new trucks easily passed their performance tests. “There’s a Pike’s Peak run [up a 4,200m mountain in Colorado] and a zero-emissions truck has never done it. But the hydrogen fuel-cell truck did it, without even breathing hard,” Cannon told the Hydrogen Americas Summit, hosted by the London-based Sustainable Energy Council.

“The Port of LA, which is already decarbonising... will also become a hub from which hydrogen can also become distributed throughout the country" Burns, Linde

Short-haul trucking is a lesser-known segment of the industry, but it is a major component of the Los Angeles region’s manufacturing and import/export sectors. Cannon’s remarks suggest hydrogen FCEV trucks are optimised for such work, as they are utilised less for distance and more for power.

The adjacent Port of Long Beach has also signed on to the Clean Air Action Plan, with a slightly more distant date of 2035 to clean up its own emissions. Together, the two ports represent a giant portion of US imports and exports. The Port of LA sees roughly $270bn worth of goods movement in a year, and in particular exports significant volumes of wastepaper and scrap metal. The Port of Long Beach handles about $170bn of trade. Given that both ports run nearly around the clock, the decarbonisation prize is significant. 

Filling stations

Shell is the Port of LA’s other partner in the emissions reduction plan. The company will site two new hydrogen filling stations in the region, one just north of the two ports in Wilmington, and another to the east in Ontario, a major intermodal centre for US truck, train and air shipping. One hydrogen station exists already at the Port of Long Beach.

“This is the beginning of a network,” says Cannon. Both new stations are due to be completed by this month or July.  The performance of the new trucks will also be monitored by the US National Renewable Energy Lab, which will assess refuelling times, load carried, and overall performance. According to Cannon, the Southern California trucking mapped network is well established, and they will also monitor performance at longer distances.

“The Port of LA, which is already decarbonising...will also become a hub from which hydrogen can also become distributed throughout the country,” David Burns, VP of clean energy at industrial gases company Linde, told the Hydrogen Americas Summit.

Efforts to decarbonise emissions-heavy ports may not be limited to just the US. Cannon says that, globally, ports are increasingly working to coordinate with each other to pursue decarbonisation. “But we need a plan, a goods movement plan, an international plan.” He cited C40, the climate action planning framework, as key to helping cities and ports in their efforts. But when it comes to goods-moving corridors, “that is where hydrogen wins,” says Cannon. Hydrogen has an opportunity because it is a much more flexible platform.”

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Author: Gregor Macdonald