Buses, Beer, & CARB Kept BYD Busy Through The Winter
Starting with a ride-and-drive of made-in-America all-electric trucks to a delivery of a EV truck to a beer brewer and acknowledgement of the gain of CARB’s scoping plant, BYD (Build Your Dreams) was busy through the winter and into the new year.
At the Harbor Trucking Association’s Zero-Emission Ride and Drive event in Long Beach, California, the company showcased the 8TT and 8Y all-electric trucks, tractors similar to those being currently operated in the port of Long Beach.
The importance of the electrification of heavy duty vehicles, according to BYD, is simply the massive reduction in the carbon footprint. In the diesel internal combustion form, these trucks can emit as much as 456.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, according to 8milliontrees.com. The environmental awareness site said that in in 2019 alone, medium to heavy-duty vehicles were responsible for up to 25% of emissions from the transport sector in North America.
BYD Senior Vice President Patrick Duan said the Long Beach Ride and Drive event offers a unique opportunity for those interested in electric vehicles to get some hands-on experience. BYD employees will be available to demonstrate and answer questions.
“This is a great opportunity for people to learn more about the electrification of heavy duty vehicles,” Duan said.
On the East Coast, BYD delivered an 8Y terminal tractor last month to New York’s leading beer and beverage wholesaler, Manhattan Beer Distributors, the first electric truck in its 355-strong fleet. The company delivers its products to New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley.
The 8Y BYD terminal tractor is equipped with the industry’s safest, longest lasting, and most reliable battery systems in the world. Designed and built as an integrated system, the 8Y terminal tractor has the highest level of performance and endurance which can provide 22 to 26 hours of consecutive operation.
The inclusion of the EV truck into the fleet wasn’t simply a matter of convenience of compliance. The company already has 175 CNG trucks in its fleet, with the first CNG vehicle introduced in 2001. The company realized the notoriety of the pollution in area where it operates and looked at alternative fuel solutions to improve air quality for its communities and minimize its environmental footprint. Its green initiatives can also be seen in its recycling operations and solar panel investments. The move into EVs is a natural evolution, says its fleet manager.
“We’re excited to partner with BYD and NYSERDA to electrify our yard tractor as part of our continued efforts to increase the use of sustainable fuels throughout our entire operation,” said Juan Corcino, Senior Director of Fleet and Sustainability at Manhattan Beer Distributors.
A week before Christmas, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved and released their comprehensive plan to achieve carbon neutrality in the Golden State by 2045.
CARB’s 2022 Scoping Plan would reduce fossil fuel consumption to less than one-tenth of today’s levels, cut greenhouse gas emissions by 85% from 1990 levels, and save Californians $200 billion in pollution-related health costs by 2045.
The Scoping Plan determined the need for more public-private partnerships increase development of zero-emission technology. Calling for a 25% reduction in per capita vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) below 2019 levels by 2030, the plan reevaluates then reimagines current mobility practices. A pivotal part of the plan is an ambitious expansion of transit service.
“We congratulate CARB for taking a broad view of the multiple benefits of sustainable transportation technology,” Duan said in support of the plan, highlighting BYD’s involvement in this venue. “As an innovation leader, we are honored to be involved in this important work and look forward to continuing to improve air quality and health outcomes across California – and the world.”
Since opening Lancaster, CA factory in 2014, BYD has become the largest battery-electric bus manufacturer in North America, with nearly 1,000 employees. The company has invested more than $250 million in North America, and now has more than 50 municipal transit agency, university, airport, federal, and other commercial and private-sector bus customers.
BYD trucks are assembled by members of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transit (SMART) worker’s union, Local 105.
The factory is proof of the economic benefit of zero-emission transportation development – something CARB alluded to in projecting 4 million new jobs as a result of full implementation of its Scoping Plan.
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