Charleston port unveils truck retrofit program

Charleston port unveils truck retrofit program    South Carolina State Ports Authority has announced a program to help offset the cost of modifications to trucks that can reduce pollution and fuel consumption.
   Funded in part by an Environmental Protection Agency grant, truck owners that serve the Port of Charleston may apply for rebates to partially fund equipment to make them more energy efficient.
   This includes auxiliary power units (APUs) and other similar devices such as battery air conditioning systems, thermal storage systems and fuel-operated heaters. According to EPA estimations, an average truck with an APU or similar device uses 8 percent less fuel each year by reducing truck idling. Truck owners will be eligible to recoup half of the cost to upgrade this equipment.
   Owners also may choose to retrofit their trucks with technology such as single-wide tires and aerodynamic kits. Single-wide tires generate an estimated 4 percent fuel savings and aerodynamic kits provide a 5 percent reduction. These projects are eligible for a 75 percent cost rebate to the truck owner.
   Applications are available online and will be accepted through March 30. Selected truck owners will be notified in May with projects completed by the end of November.
   The new truck project is one component of a broader $1.7-million EPA grant the port received to reduce port-related pollution. The grant will also fund replacement of engines on 21 rubber-tire gantry cranes that handle shipping containers at the port’s three container terminals.