Port facilities are prime candidates for electrification—plugging in vehicles and equipment can deliver not only major cost savings, but outsized emissions reductions, as various studies have quantified.
APM Terminals has been steadily electrifying its operations at the Port of Los Angeles for years. The company’s EV fleet now includes 36 electric cars and trucks, 3 electric straddle carriers, 9 HD electric forklifts and telehandlers, and 22 electric terminal tractors, including 20 from Orange EV. Some 51 EV charging stations provide power.
As expected, the company has substantially reduced its fuel and maintenance costs. Electrification has also brought an unexpected benefit—increased uptime and improved truck and cargo flow has enabled the container port to reduce truck dwell times from an average of 90 minutes to 35.
“I was a little skeptical at the start. How one could move from low 60s percentage reliability to 90, and do it consistently?” said Jon Poelma, Managing Director, APM Terminals, Los Angeles. “But I think we can all see from the data that it is happening.”
APM’s ship-to-shore cranes at the port run on grid electricity, and shore power is also available for the ships that dock.
“The cranes are all plugged in—not every terminal in the world has cranes that are plugged in,” adds Poelma. “Also, I would say 97% of the ships that came into Pier 400 last year got plugged in to shore power.”
