Climate United is using $250 million from its $7 billion National Clean Investment Fund award to buy up to 500 electric drayage trucks, which are the vehicles used at ports to move shipping containers. The trucks will then be leased to small fleet operators at ports, starting in Long Beach and Los Angeles.
The coalition is working on the program in partnership with Forum Mobility in California, which operates electric truck charging centers in the state’s ports and along freight routes.
The initiative is designed to support compliance with California regulations that require drayage fleets in the state to be electrified by 2035. About 80% of the more than 30,000 trucks in the state are run by small operators.
“Electric drayage trucks cost less to operate, but high upfront costs make it difficult for independent owner-operators and small fleets to transition to all-electric,” said Climate United’s Beth Bafford.
The deal is Climate United’s second since it secured the National Clean Investment Fund award under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
