EVwire brief: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is spending $45 million to swap diesel drayage trucks for electric ones at the East Coast's busiest container port.
The cash is split two ways: $39 million in point-of-sale vouchers covering electric drayage trucks, yard tractors, and charging gear, plus a separate $5 million pot to build up to five electric truck charging hubs within 10 miles (16 km) of the port. Both programs open this fall.
The voucher side, called the Clean Truck Incentive, is straightforward: lower the sticker shock so the trucking companies hauling containers in and out of the port every day can actually afford to go electric. The companion Green Drayage Accelerator tackles the other half of the problem. It funds dedicated charging locations close enough to the terminals that drivers can top off between runs. Clean transportation nonprofit CALSTART is running both programs.
The Port Authority's electric truck charging station at Port Newark. (Source: Port Authority of NY & NJ)
Port Authority Chairman Kevin O'Toole framed it in terms of what happens after the trucks leave the gates:
The trucks that move through our gates don't stop there. They fan out to warehouses and distribution hubs across the region, carrying the goods that power our economy. This $45 million partnership with CALSTART puts zero-emission trucks, terminal tractors, and charging infrastructure within reach for the operators who serve this port every day.
Thinking of getting an EV, selling yours, or need EV accessories and adapters?
Check out our fresh EVwire EV Deals page for the discounts we've gathered.
Port Director Bethann Rooney put it more directly:
Drayage operators are the backbone of this port, keeping freight moving day and night from our terminals to warehouses and businesses across the region. […] We're making zero-emission trucks and terminal tractors more affordable for the operators who keep this port running, backed by the charging infrastructure they'll need to power them.
Electric truck charging infrastructure at the Port Newark facility. (Source: Port Authority of NY & NJ)
Funding comes from a $451 million EPA Clean Ports Program grant, the largest sustainability grant in Port Authority history, so the $45 million for trucks and chargers is just one slice. The broader grant also funds electric cargo handling equipment at marine terminals and shore power so container ships can plug in at berth instead of idling their auxiliary engines.
For what it's worth, this port already has receipts. Since 2006, sulfur dioxide emissions at the seaport have dropped 98%, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter are both down more than 83%, and cargo volume climbed nearly 71% over the same period. The Port Authority says it's targeting net-zero carbon by 2050.
Zero-emission truck operations at Port Newark. (Source: Port Authority of NY & NJ)
By the way, it sure looks to us like you are an EV geek like ourselves.
Which means you belong with us: join 14,400+ reading our newsletters: subscribe
Context:
Drayage trucks are the short-haul workhorses that shuttle shipping containers between port terminals, rail yards, and nearby warehouses. They're also among the worst polluters in freight because they run constant short trips through port communities.
The Port of New York and New Jersey is the busiest container port on the East Coast and one of the largest in the country by cargo volume. It already has an electric truck charging station at Port Newark with four fast chargers, plus an existing Truck Replacement Program that offers incentives for swapping older diesel engines for cleaner ones.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the Port of Los Angeles is running its own $75 million zero-emission truck program with vouchers up to $300,000 per truck. Tesla Semi is explicitly listed as qualifying.
DIG DEEPER into the Chargingwire and join 14,000+ EV geeks.
