Battery powered tractor trial

A trial involving the single largest deployment of heavy-duty zero emission terminal tractors in the Eastern United States has resulted in an 81% and 90% reduction in fuel costs and CO2 emissions.

The trial at Red Hook Container Terminal LLC involved ten BYD Motors heavy-duty zero-emission battery electric terminal tractors in operation at Port Newark, New Jersey.

“The BYD terminal tractors and Amply Power control systems are both working perfectly. We are now pursuing additional emission reduction projects in Red Hook’s drive to net zero by 2025,” said Mike Stamatis, president and chief executive officer of Red Hook Container Terminal LLC.

Impressive efficiency

The battery electric tractors are being used to move cargo containers at the Red Hook Marine Terminal in Port Newark, as well as to make runs to the other terminals at Port Newark and Port Elizabeth and to run to the Millennium Marine Rail facility.

The project was developed and is managed by Climate Change Mitigation Technologies LLC (CCMT), a leading New Jersey-based developer and manager of zero-emission truck and bus projects for public and private fleets.

“We have left the land of estimates and projections and crossed into the real world of digitally-monitored performance data,” said James Sherman, president and chief executive officer of Climate Change Mitigation Technologies LLC.

“The interesting thing to me is how much of the fuel costs and CO2 emissions are the result of idling emissions. Every port operator can achieve these same results right now.”

Managed charging, provided by partner AMPLY Power’s OMEGA software system, has been key to maintaining low fueling costs and ensuring vehicles are charged and ready to operate at the beginning of each shift. OMEGA optimises charging for low costs while keeping the amount of electricity drawn at the site within peak load limits; the software also manages the charging operation to identify and resolve any problems that may otherwise go unnoticed.