Commercial Freight
Goods movement is the backbone of our modern economy, ensuring the seamless flow of goods that sustain our daily lives. However, as the fastest-growing transportation sector, commercial freight accounts for a substantial portion of harmful emissions, contributing to urban air quality issues and exacerbating the global climate crisis.
Commitments made by the federal government more than a decade ago to fund the development of battery electric and fuel cell electric transit buses are now paying dividends in other commercial vehicle markets, including commercial freight. Key findings by the DOE suggest that cost competitiveness of zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles can largely be achieved by 2035.
CTE is working with industry and public agencies to develop the next generation of heavy-duty near-zero and zero-emissions technologies. This includes helping to secure funding for research and development, validating the performance of new technologies, and supporting their commercialization.
Commercial Freight Project Spotlight
NorCAL ZERO: Largest Commercial Deployment of Class 8 Fuel Cell Electric Trucks in North America
CTE organized a team of 16 key industry and community partners to obtain over $29 million in state and federal grants matched by an additional $25 million in private funding to launch the biggest deployment of Class 8 FCETs in North America through the NorCalZERO project. Thirty fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs) are carrying freight to and from the Port of Oakland, to warehouses and distribution hubs in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and California’s Central Valley.
Additionally, as part of the project, CTE has managed the build of a heavy-duty hydrogen fueling station (one of the largest in the world) at the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s Wastewater Treatment facility in Oakland, with the capacity to support 60 trucks in regular service. The project also includes a community outreach program in partnership with the University of California at Berkeley and the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, upgrades to maintenance facilities, and workforce training to provide service and support for the vehicles.
“The deployment of these trucks in northern California provides a groundbreaking opportunity to demonstrate the exceptional performance of fuel cell electric trucks for an industry that has traditionally relied on conventional diesel and CNG vehicles….We look forward to being a part of a new era for trucking across the U.S. – one marked by zero-emission vehicles that don’t force fleets to compromise on performance.”
Recent Commercial Freight News
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