For 16 months, GTI and its partners have been designing and assembling fuel cell-electric terminal tractors in a project called Zero Emissions for California Ports (ZECAP) that will assess vehicle operation in a demanding, real-world cargo-handling application. (Earlier post.) Performance verification is nearing completion, and the first-of-a-kind pilot project is preparing to launch.
The hydrogen fueling equipment is in final assembly and slated for installation this spring, along with the delivery of trucks.
A terminal tractor (yard truck) is a heavy-duty tractor designed to couple and uncouple quickly with trailers to move them within a cargo yard. More than 1,800 yard trucks operate at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles—more than half of all cargo-handling equipment (CHE) at these ports.
Yard trucks are the single largest source of CHE emissions but are more difficult to convert to zero-emission fuel cells or batteries because of their variable duty cycles and fundamental requirements for power, versatility, and durability.
In the ZECAP program, project partner TraPac will operate two fuel cell electric yard trucks for 12 months. The trucks are Capacity of Texas Trailer Jockey Series TJ9000 gliders configured with BAE Systems electric drive powertrain capable of peak propulsion power of 200kW (270 hp) and Ballard Power Systems FCveloCity-HD85 85kW proton exchange membrane fuel cell.
The Capacity truck can store 9.1kg of hydrogen at 350 bar and will fill at an onsite Hydrogen Technology & Energy Corporation (HTEC) hydrogen fueling station with 182kg storage capacity. Other project partners are Frontier Energy and ZEN Clean Energy Solutions. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) funded the project through a grant.
We designed the project to maximize the time the trucks will be in service. TraPac is a 24-hour operation. The fuel cell yard trucks are expected to operate for two shifts and refill in minutes, with minimum disruption to TraPac’s operation. We’ll collect and analyze real-time operating data to evaluate safety, reliability, efficiency, and ability to meet operational requirements.
—Bart Sowa, GTI’s project manager. . . .