[VIDEO] Los Angeles Is Building an e-Highway Demonstration Project to Curb Truck Emissions on Corridor that Connects Ports of LosAngeles and Long Beach to Downtown

October 3, 2014 at 12:30 pm

via CityLab & synapticdigital.com

Los Angeles is preparing to trial a two-way, one-mile e-highway road design project along the diesel truck-dominated Alameda Corridor in an effort to reduce pollution and health-related costs. Officials say the system relies on emission-free electric power delivered through overhead wires to fuel the trucks. The city is partnering with Siemens and the South Coast Air Quality Management District to run the $13 million project set to begin operations in July. The one-mile test of the e-highway system may just be the start. Apparently the various funders are hoping to expand the system along the remaining three miles from the ports to the major railhead, and there are discussions underway about a 20-mile northwest corridor that could connect the ports with inland warehouse complexes. If this first mile test works out, it could help provide a healthier future for high-traffic corridors around the world.

More about the project here.

This is how it works: The catenary infrastructure will be installed on the North and South-bound sections of Alameda Street where it intersects with Sepulveda Boulevard in Carson,California. Up to four trucks will be running in the demonstration, making multiple drives per day. Thanks to an innovative current collector the trucks can connect and disconnect from the catenary system at any speed for dynamic power supply directly to the electric engine and for on-board storage. To further ensure the same flexibility as conventional trucks, the eHighway vehicles use an electric drive system, which can be powered either by diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), battery or other on-board energy source, when driving outside of the catenary lines.  One big question that bogs me is this: assuming the demonstration is successful, who will pay for the cost of turning over the existing fleet to this hybrid-mode?