Port of LA Debuts Battery-Powered Electric Cargo Top Handlers

The Port of Los Angeles’ five new Taylor ZLC 996 top handlers purchased by Yusen Terminals are “human-operated” and will replace diesel-powered equipment. (Port of Los Angeles Photograph)

The Port of Los Angeles on June 25 reported deploying “the first commercially available” battery-powered electric cargo top handlers in the U.S., as part of its zero-emissions strategy.

The five new Taylor ZLC 996 top handlers are human-operated and will replace diesel-powered equipment. Purchased by Yusen Terminals—which provides marine terminal services at Berths 212-218 at the Port of Los Angeles—the units will be powered by a 650V all-electric battery power drivetrain, capable of running two-full shifts under normal work cycles, then ready-to-go after a five-hour boost using a 180W recharger, according to the Port.

“Typically diesel-powered, top handlers are off-road vehicles with an overhead boom for loading containers weighing up to 75,000 pounds onto trucks and trains, unloading them, and stacking them on terminals between pickups and deliveries,” the Port said. “In 2019, the Port of Los Angeles was the first in the world to begin testing zero-emissions top handler prototypes designed and built by Taylor Machine Works, a leading U.S.-based heavy-duty equipment manufacturer already supplying top handlers in service at the Port. The rigorous real-world testing of battery-powered prototypes helped inform the final design of the Taylor commercial units put into service at Yusen Terminals today.”

There are currently 215 diesel top handlers used throughout the Port, and they are said to account for about 30% of all emissions from cargo-handling equipment in operation at the Port’s terminals.

The Port reported that it applied last month to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a $412 million grant to support deployment of 424 pieces of zero-emissions cargo handling equipment, 250 zero-emissions drayage trucks, and $50 million for community zero-emissions initiatives. If awarded, the EPA grant would be matched with an additional $233 million by the Port and several private-sector partners, and result in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by nearly 41,500 tons, according to the Port.

The Yusen Terminal electric top handler deployment is among a range of programs designed to help the Port of Los Angeles meet its sustainability goals, including the transition of all cargo handling equipment on its terminals to zero-emissions by 2030, and all drayage trucks calling at the Port to zero-emissions by 2035.  

Class I railroads Union Pacific and BNSF serve the Port of Los Angeles; Pacific Harbor Line, Inc., an Anacostia Rail Holdings subsidiary, provides rail transportation, maintenance, and dispatching services to both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach.

Separately, the Los Angeles (Calif.) Harbor Commission on June 6 approved a $2.6 billion FY 2024/25 budget for the City of Los Angeles Harbor Department that it said will support the “community investment, decarbonization of port-related operations, workforce development, and cargo infrastructure modernization” priorities of the Port of Los Angeles. Also, the Port of Los Angeles in May processed 752,893 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units—a 3% decline over May 2023; overall cargo volume remained 18% ahead of 2023 after five months.