From pie in the sky to rubber on the road
The worlds first hydrogen-fuel Class 8 truck is being put to the test in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Total Transportation Services Inc (TTSI) will operate the Vision truck under typical short-haul conditions at the ports for the next six months. The vehicle is an electric truck with a battery recharged by a hydrogen fuel cell which generates electricity from a reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. There is no combustion and no air pollution, and pure H20 is the only by-product.
Upon successful testing, TTSI plans to move forward with a Letter of Intent for the purchase of 100 vehicles at a purchase price of approximately $27 million. The Letter of Intent also gives TTSI the option to purchase an additional 300 trucks, bringing the total contract value to approximately $108 million.
The move also plays to America’s stated objective of breaking its dependence on petrochemical imports. “Above and beyond the benefit of zero emissions, we at TTSI believe that hydrogen fuel is the only true way to break our dependence on imported fuel,” said Vic La Rosa, president of TTSI.
David Arian of the Los Angeles Harbour Commission said, “This is not pie-in-the-sky technology. It’s rubber to the road and we’re moving forward.”
Related Articles
OPERATIONS
OPERATIONS
PRODUCTS & SERVICES