Port Houston recently welcomed its first-ever zero-emissions drayage truck in partnership with Sunburst Truck Lines and Nikola Corporation, according to the company's release.
The electric truck picked up a container from the Bayport Container Terminal before delivering it to its next destination. This vehicle was manufactured by Nikola Corporation in Coolidge, Arizona and uses battery power instead of diesel, eliminating greenhouse gas and other emissions typically associated with combustion engine trucks.
Nikola’s new electric truck has a range of up to 350 miles, and it can charge up to 80% in just over an hour and a half. The truck was brought to Port Houston’s public terminal by Sunburst Truck Lines, a family owned and operated intermodal freight handler for the Houston region. This efficient drayage vehicle is the most recent sustainability action at Port Houston.
In April, Port Houston announced its goal to be carbon neutral by 2050. To achieve this, Port officials are promoting clean air strategies including upgrading technology, improving infrastructure and equipment, utilizing alternative fuels and clean energy sources, and increasing collaboration among port users and stakeholders.
Nikola Corporation plans to deploy between 300 and 500 of these zero emissions trucks from its Arizona plant this year. The transportation industry will play a large role in global decarbonization. Port Houston’s recent Sustainability Action Plan includes an initiative focused on the use of alternative fuel drayage, a move that will require collaboration between manufacturers and operators.
Also as part of the plan, Port Houston is working toward eventually eliminating dockside emissions and helping implement green shipping corridors as well as green marine and road fuels.
Port Houston reduced its carbon footprint by 55% from 2016 to 2021 and studies showed a 21% reduction in carbon footprint from 2013 to 2019 by Port Houston and the other varied operators who utilize the Channel.
The Houston Ship Channel complex and its more than 200 public and private terminals, collectively known as the Port of Houston, is the US largest port for waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the U.S.