Testing of electric truck for Los Angeles port sparks enthusiasm:
Although electric truck tests are still underway, the port has already ordered 20 more of the vehicles at a cost of $208,000 each.
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The electric truck, which takes about three hours to charge, has a range of about 30 miles while pulling a 60,000-pound cargo container, and about 60 miles empty. Although that distance may not sound useful, much of freight hauling within the port complex is from terminals to nearby train yards.It costs about 20 cents a mile to operate, or about four to nine times less than a diesel truck, depending on fluctuating fuel costs and operating conditions.
You can watch a short puff piece on the truck too.
Despite the fact that Los Angeles Harbor Commission President S. David Freeman says, “With diesel fuel selling for nearly $5 a gallon, this is the cheapest truck on the road,” that’s not clear at all.
How does the $208,000 price tag compare to the price of an equivalent diesel truck? How long does the battery last, and how much does it cost to replace? Why don’t those numbers ever make their way into an article about cost savings?
Anyway, I do believe that an electric truck makes perfect sense for moving cargo containers short distances across port facilities, and I know I’d rather work around electric trucks than diesels.
(Hat tip to FuturePundit.)