Medium-duty (MD) and heavy-duty (HD) vehicles and off-road equipment make one of the most important contributions to the emissions inventory for both urban pollutants and greenhouse gases. Reducing the emissions contribution from these sources has been a focus of regulations and incentive programs over the past few years. The number of plug-in and electric vehicle/equipment models in the MD, HD, and off-road equipment categories has significantly expanded in recent years. Along with that, a growing number of fleets are deploying or are interested in deploying electric vehicles such as port-related equipment, transit buses, school buses, trucks, and other off-road equipment. With this rapid growth of electric vehicles in the market, reliable operation and performance data on electric MD and HD vehicles/equipment is needed to provide insights on usage and to support the ongoing research into the future deployment.
The objective of this study is to collect and analyze activity data from a comprehensive array of equipment types and engine power ratings for port-related equipment. For this study, activity measurements are being made from a wide range of advanced technology vehicles/equipment that are being demonstrated at the Port of Long Beach (POLB), as well as the Port of Oakland, and the Port of Stockton. The equipment types will include yard tractors, top handlers, a rubber tire gantry crane, drayage trucks, forklifts, and a rail car mover. The collected data is being analyzed to determine activity patterns including hours of operation, days of operation per year, miles traveled per day (and associated odometer reading per day and per shift if shift times are provided), average value and distribution of speed and acceleration, and idling time. GPS data can be analyzed to determine the number of trips between specific locations that are related to loading and unloading cargo and refueling. The performance of the vehicle/equipment will also be analyzed in terms of the state of charge (SOC) throughout the work shift (minute-by-minute), fuel/energy consumption rate per work completed/distance driven, and fuel/energy consumption while idling. This presentation will provide an overview of the key aspects of this study, and update on the progress and results of the study to date, with a focus on the yard tractors, top handlers, and drayage trucks.