The demo was conducted near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as part of a project with Siemens and sponsored by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). The goal of the project is to reduce air pollution at freight-intensive locations, such as the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the two largest ports in the US.

Siemens installed the eHighway infrastructure, which covers one mile of select lanes of a highway with a catenary system similar to those used to power trolleys or streetcars.

The Mack truck can connect to the overhead contact lines and transfer energy to the truck’s electric driveline thanks to a current collector supplied by Siemens, allowing it to operate with zero tailpipe emissions on the eHighway corridor.

Mack has investigated several other solutions for reducing greenhouse gas and criteria pollutant emissions including a plug-in hybrid electric powertrain and the use of alternative fuels such as dimethyl ether (DME). (Earlier post.)