Mack Trucks will demonstrate two zero-emission capable Class 8 drayage trucks as part of a California-based heavy-duty truck development project led by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), in an effort to help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) pollutants.
โMack looks forward to continuing our collaboration with SCAQMD and demonstrating two zero-emission capable drayage trucks,โ said Dennis Slagle, president of Mack Trucks. โMack has been a leader in powertrain innovation for decades, and we are excited to apply our knowledge to this project.โ
SCAQMD is partnering with four air quality districts in California to work toward the first large-scale demonstration of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks, and Mack was one of the manufacturers selected to receive funding for the project.
Mack said it would focus on ultra-low NOx technologies, while at the same time advancing plug-in hybrid and geo-fencing capabilities explored in other company projects, all with the goal of reducing GHS emissions at locations with heavy freight volumes, including ports, rail yards and the freight corridors that connect them.
Mack said it would build upon its experiences in designing and demonstrating a plug-in hybrid electric drayage truck based on the zero-emission capable Mack Pinnacle model, which was built as part of an earlier SCAQMD-sponsored project.
Geo-fencing capabilities, which establishes a virtual perimeter, allows the truck to switch between zero-emission (while inside the geo-fence) and hybrid operating modes (while outside the geo-fence).
โThis unique collaborative effort is aimed at fostering the development of advanced zero-emission truck technologies that are vital to improving air quality in communities near our busy freight corridors,โ said Joe Buscaino, Los Angeles City councillor and SCAQMD board member. โCleaner truck fleets on our roadways are important for air quality and climate goals, and essential to protecting public health.โ