The Port of Los Angeles is moving closer to achieving its goal of emissions-free operations with the introduction of five electric top handlers that can grab 100,000-pound shipping containers and stack them up to six high.
Though it looks similar to a forklift, top handlers grab containers from above instead of lifting them from below. They use overhead booms to load and unload heavy shipping containers onto truck trailers or trains, then stow them at terminals between pickups and deliveries. After test-running two prototypes in 2020, Yusen Terminal purchased the first five production units and has them up and running at the Port of Los Angeles.
“These all-electric cargo top handlers are the culmination of years of rigorous real-world prototype testing and development at our Port,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “We applaud Yusen Terminal’s vision and leadership. Our joint effort in pursuing this technology has come to fruition and helped prove the commercial viability of this equipment.”
The Taylor Machine Works-built top loader is fitted with a gigantic 1 MW battery (?!) that’s designed to run for up to 18 hours on a single charge. Taylor says that’s enough capacity to power two full shifts of the 650V all-electric drivetrain, moving hundreds of tonnes of material continuously, before needing a five-hour recharge on a 180 kW DC fast charger to get it running again.
Each top handler is equipped with data loggers to track operating hours, charging frequency, energy usage and other performance metrics. Additionally, drivers and mechanics provide input on the equipment’s operability, noise levels and safety.
“Yusen Terminals is proud to partner with Taylor Machine Works to begin production of the first five commercially available EV top handlers at our Port of Los Angeles facility,” said Alan McCorkle, president and CEO of Yusen Terminals. “This is a major step on our journey to zero emissions.”
The Port of Los Angeles has applied for a $412 million EPA grant to support the deployment of 424 ZEV cargo handling equipment and 250 ZEV drayage trucks. If approved, the grant would provide an additional $233 million in grant funding from the Port of Los Angeles and its private partners on top of the $1 million EPA grant, resulting in a reduction of approximately 41,500 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
Electrek’s take
The Port of Los Angeles, along with the Port of Long Beach, are leading the way (sorry) in electrifying heavy equipment, and their success stories will ripple across the shipping and logistics industry.
Hopefully, that alone will be enough to accelerate their electrification plans – or at the very least, it will show them that legislation mandating zero-emission vehicles in the future (and now) doesn’t mean the end of the industry as they know it.
That said, full MW batteries are a crazy idea – roadside charging and grid-tied material handlers make much more sense to me and will get the same amount of work done at a much lower carbon cost. Anyway, that’s my opinion. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Source | Image: Port of Los Angeles.
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