WASHINGTON: The Port of San Diego is about to get a little bit cleaner and a lot quieter. Under a $5.9 million grant awarded by the California Energy Commission (CEC), the San Diego Port Tenants Association announced Monday that seven of its partner tenants will receive all-electric forklifts and heavy-duty trucks that emit zero greenhouse gas emissions and run almost as quietly as golf carts. “This is the first grant we’ve ever applied for, and it’s phenomenal to get such an award,” said Sharon Cloward, the president of the tenants association.
Under the terms of the deal, the CEC grant will be matched by $2.3 million from the seven waterfront businesses — shipyards, boatyards and cargo handlers — that will receive the vehicles. Seven large trucks and three forklifts make up the package, which is funded through the CEC’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program.
By replacing the diesel-powered trucks with zero-emissions vehicles, the port’s environmental specialists estimate 950 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions will be eliminated over the lifetime of the machinery. That’s the equivalent of taking 200 passenger vehicles off the road.
The project ties into the Port of San Diego’s 2013 Climate Action Plan. The forklifts and trucks are expected to be delivered in the next 12-18 months. A fleet of demonstration vehicles was on display Monday morning, including a 10-wheeled semitruck that went on a spin around the Chula Vista campus at Marine Group Boat Works. “They’re so quiet,” said Norene Riveroll, a lifelong resident of nearby Barrio Logan. “This is a big issue here in Barrio Logan, cutting back on the (greenhouse gas) emissions.”
