The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has awarded $20 million in grants to accelerate California’s transition to zero-emission off-road equipment in the freight, agriculture and waterborne mass transit sectors.

Projects awarded funding include a battery-electric locomotive at the Port of Los Angeles; a hydrogen fuel cell-powered ferry providing passenger service between the Ports of San Francisco, Oakland, Redwood City and Martinez; battery-electric tractors in the San Joaquin Valley; and zero-emission cargo handling equipment at three California ports (Los Angeles, Long Beach and Stockton).

The projects are part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities. All of the recently funded off-road advanced-technology demonstration projects directly benefit disadvantaged communities.

Three projects demonstrate zero-emission cargo-handling equipment:

• Fuel-cell powered top loader with wireless inductive charging at the Port of Los Angeles (Project cost: $8.8 million; Cap-and-Trade grant: $6.5 million; Grantee: Center for Transportation and the Environment).

• Three battery-electric top handlers and two zero-emission yard trucks (fuel cell and battery-electric) at the Port of Long Beach (Cost $8.3 million; Grant: $5.3 million; Grantee: City of Long Beach Harbor Department).

• Two battery-electric high lift-capacity forklifts at the Port of Stockton (Cost: $1.2 million; Grant: $772,555; Grantee: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District).

Top: Fuel cell extended range top loader at POLA. Fuel cell range-extended top loader with wireless inductive charging to be developed and deployed by Hyster Yale Group Inc., Nuvera Fuel Cells LLC and partners for Center for Transportation and the Environment’s demonstration project at Port of Los Angeles. Bottom: Battery-electric forklift. Battery-electric high-lift-capacity forklift to be deployed at Port of Stockton by DANNAR, ChargePoint for San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's Zero-Emission Cargo Handling Demonstration Project. Click to enlarge.

Other projects include:

• Battery-electric switcher locomotive at the Port of Los Angeles (Cost: $3.8 million; Grant: $2.8 million; Grantee: The Los Angeles Harbor Department).

• Hydrogen fuel cell passenger ferry in the Bay Area (Cost: $5.5 million; Grant: $3 million; Grantee: Bay Area Air Quality Management District).

• Four battery-electric tractors and one battery-electric Class 6 truck that will act as a mobile recharger in the San Joaquin Valley (Cost: $2.3 million; Grant: $1.5 million; Grantee: Project Clean Air).

All projects will be completed by March 2020.