Southern California ports to test hybrid yard tractor

Southern California ports to test hybrid yard tractor    The U.S. EPA on Wednesday presented a $300,000 grant to the Port of Long Beach to fund the development of hybrid-powered cargo-handling equipment and testing at one of the port’s container terminals.
   The two-year, $1.2 million project will research, develop, build and test ultra-low emissions hybrid cargo-handling vehicles, known as “yard    hostlers,” to improve air quality. The project will test hybrid technology, which combines a clean source of power with a clean diesel engine for dramatic emissions reductions.
   The project will be headed by the Port of Long Beach in partnership with the Port of Los Angeles. Testing will be at Long Beach Container Terminal’s Pier F facility and will integrate technology from cargo-handling equipment manufacturer Kalmar Industries.
   “If this promising technology proves viable, we will see air quality improvements beyond anything currently required by state or federal regulations,” said Geraldine Knatz, Port of Los Angeles executive director, in a statement. “This technology could significantly curtail air pollution while helping to reduce fuel consumption.”
   Three of the hybrid yard hostlers will be operated and tested for six months at Long Beach Container Terminal. The hybrid vehicles could use either a hybrid-electric system to combine the cleanest available diesel engine technology with an electric motor, or a hybrid-hydraulic system that would combine the cleanest available diesel engine technology with components that use hydraulic fluid compression to store energy, Long Beach officials said.
   The hybrid-drive system, coupled with the cleanest available diesel engine, is expected to deliver a 93 percent reduction in smog-forming nitrogen oxides and diesel particulate matter compared to typical yard hostlers. In addition, the hybrid technology is expected to reduce or eliminate emissions during idling, which can represent more than 50 percent of the yard hostler duty cycle.
   In addition to the $300,000 award from the EPA, the two ports have agreed to contribute $375,000 each in funding and services toward the project. Kalmar, Long Beach Container Terminal and the hybrid technology supplier will provide an additional $150,000 in services.