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Writer's pictureErik Bugarín Robles

Part 2: The Road to Zero-Emission Drayage 2035

Zero-emission truck technology and charging infrastructure must develop diesel equivalent performance to avoid increased costs to beneficial cargo owners and consumers alike.


May 12, 2023

Container terminal at the Port of Long Beach

Long Beach, California – On April 28, 2023, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved the groundbreaking Advanced Clean Fleets rule that requires an eventual transition to zero-emission medium-and-heavy duty vehicles statewide by 2045. Drayage trucks must transition by 2035 due to truck traffic in residential communities near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.



With zero-emission trucking, California aims to generate “health savings” by reducing asthma attacks and respiratory illnesses statewide, especially among residents living in the communities close to the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach and their respective transportation corridors.


Zero-Emission Regulation

which trucks can enter the ports in 2023

Under the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation from CARB, December 31, 2023, will be the last day carriers and independent contractors can register non-zero-emission trucks to conduct drayage activities in California, including low-emission trucks powered by natural gas. New drayage truck registrations beginning January 2024 must be zero-emission.


which trucks can enter the ports in 2024

The ACF regulation allows carriers and independent contractors to use registered diesel and natural gas trucks until whichever milestone is reached first; 800,000 miles or 18 years or 13 years if the truck has over 800,000 miles.


A zero-emission truck is a vehicle powered by a drivetrain that produces zero exhaust emissions of pollutants under any possible operational modes or conditions per CARB. The two types of zero-emission trucks that satisfy this requirement are battery electric (BEV) and hydrogen fuel cell electric (FCEV) due to their use of electric drivetrains.


The difference between the two is the technology behind them.


A battery-electric truck stores energy and is refueled by being plugged into a charging station like a smartphone, while a hydrogen fuel cell truck converts hydrogen and oxygen within the fuel cell into energy (electricity).


Both technologies have their pros and cons. Hydrogen-powered trucks offer significant advantages over battery-electric because of their range and downtime between charges. For example, the Toyota-Kenworth T680 hydrogen fuel cell truck has a range of 300+ miles when fully loaded with a 15 to 20-minute refueling time.


Photos: ACT 2023 Expo, Comex Logistics LLC


A battery-electric truck, such as the Nikola Tre BEV, needs a minimum of 90 minutes to recharge its battery, assuming the charger can deliver charging speeds of 350kW (kilowatts). Charging times can increase to 2 or more hours if the charger is unable to deliver fast charging speeds, limiting battery-electric trucks to short-range hauls to maximize their efficiency.


Charging Infrastructure

Challenging CARB’s well-intentioned effort to encourage zero-emission truck adoption is the lack of charging infrastructure. Currently, only 3 public hydrogen fuel stations are servicing class 8 trucks within 50 miles of the ports (2 in Long Beach and 1 in Ontario).


Few public charging stations for battery-electric trucks are available as of May 2023. The Port of Long Beach, in partnership with EV Connect, has opened public charging stations for drayage trucks that have paid annual truck fees and have the authorization to operate within the Port. There is currently no cost to use the chargers during the initial program rollout, and charging times are limited to 2 hours per charge per truck.

zero-emission truck at a charging station
Photo: Daimler Trucks North America

Another partnership with Electrify America plans to bring 60 public charging stations by the end of 2023 to the Port of Long Beach, with charging speeds of 150 kW (called Ultra-Fast) and 350 kW (Hyper-Fast), that can charge trucks in 30 to 60 minutes.


Charging Costs


As an EV owner and satisfied Electrify America charging station user, the cost to charge for Pass+ members is $.036/kWh plus a $4.00 monthly fee. It costs me about $20.00 to charge my 70kWh battery EV from 20% to 85%. Assuming the same membership plan will be available for drayage carriers, the cost to charge a battery-electric truck such as the Nikola TRE BEV to 100 percent can be calculated as follows:


Battery Capacity: 733kWh

Charging Cost: $.36 per kWh

Total Cost: $263.00


With a stated max range of 330 miles, the Nikola and similar battery-electric trucks will need 3 charges to get diesel or natural gas equivalent performance. A 100-gallon diesel tank, for example, costs around $500.00 to fill up but provides a range of around 700 miles, with lower refueling times compared to battery-electric trucks.

graph explaining the range vs cost of zero emission vehicles versus diesel and natural gas

Hydrogen refueling times are similar to diesel and natural gas, allowing carriers to avoid costly downtime while their battery-electric trucks charge. The cost of hydrogen fuel, however, raises red flags when compared to diesel and electric-battery trucks.


The Nikola FCEV (fuel cell electric vehicle) has a hydrogen capacity of 70kg, or 65 diesel equivalent gallons, with a range of up to 500 miles. The cost of refueling the Nikola FCEV can be calculated as follows:


Hydrogen Capacity: 70kg

Hydrogen Fuel Cost: $14.00/kg

Total Cost: $980.00


Hydrogen has the potential to provide a diesel equivalent range but at a significantly higher cost.


With the Advanced Clean Fleets rule now in place, advancements in zero-emission technology, whether battery-electric or hydrogen fuel cell, must accelerate to provide diesel equivalent performance. Investments in private and public renewable charging infrastructure must be brought online rapidly in order to service the approaching zero-emission ecosystem.


The consequence of not improving zero-emission technology and infrastructure will lead to increased transportation costs which ultimately will be passed down to beneficial cargo owners and consumers alike.

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