Today's video isn't new, but I thought since we were on the subject of electric cars this past week I'd present this Web clip about an all-electric heavy-duty truck--a project vehicle commissioned by the Port of Los Angeles and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).
This project was put together to make a prototype of the world's strongest, most heavy-duty truck that could run for short hauls exclusively on electricity. Reportedly it was the first heavy-duty electric cargo truck from any port in the world, and statistically it could haul over 50,000 lbs. in cargo with a top speed of 40 mph for 30 or more miles per each battery charge. Subsequently, the L.A. Harbor Commission green-lighted the production of 20 such electric yard trucks as a part of its "green terminal" initiative as well as the construction of several street legal electric trucks for hauling items out of the port. The Port of Los Angeles has got well over $5 million invested in this project and apparently has been dedicated to such ventures that are environmentally and economically beneficial. Given that the port operates self-sufficiently without the aid of tax dollars, the Port of L.A. could become the trendsetter of ecological initiatives both here in the States and across the globe.
