I’ve talked about the Vision Industries Tyrano hydrogen fuel cell hybrid big rig truck many times before. The goal for the company to is clean up the diesel emissions around the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles in Southern California (SoCal) using their zero emissions vehicles.
The major highway leading out of the Port of Long Beach is called the I710 Long Beach Freeway and travels 23 miles north to Alhambra, California. CalStart and Metro, clean energy organizations in California, have come up with plans to make the I710 freeway a “Zero Emissions Freight Movement Corridor”.
According to Lawrence Weisdorn, “Studies by both the California Air Resources Board and the South Coast Air Quality Management District show the port and its trucks are major contributors to cancer-causing air pollution in Los Angeles.
“In 2005, the California Air Resources Board found that the ports and goods movement throughout the state of California caused over 2,400 premature deaths annually, mostly from particulate pollution, and was responsible for 2,000 hospital admissions due to respiratory problems. Supporting data from the 2005 Los Angeles County Health Survey found that almost 20 percent of children in the Long Beach Health District have been diagnosed with asthma, significantly higher than national asthma rates.
“In March 2005, following an extensive technical and community participation process, Metro completed the I-710 Freeway Major Corridor Study (MCS). The study analyzed congestion and mobility along the corridor in order to develop transportation solutions that preserve and enhance the quality of life of surrounding neighborhoods and communities.”
Perhaps coincidentally Vision Industries is poised to take advantage of this Zero Emissions Freight Movement Corridor immediately. Their zero emissions Tyrano truck is already being tested around the ports in Long Beach and Los Angeles.
Air Products, a major hydrogen gas supplier, also has a major pipeline running through these ports and will most likely supply the hydrogen fuel for the trucks as well. The I710 zero emission freeway will give access to hydrogen freight trucks expanding the territory in which they may deliver their products before returning to port.
Here are a few more links concerning the details of this project:
http://www.metro.net/projects_studies/I710/images/710_projectmap.pdf
http://www.metro.net/projects_studies/I710/images/710_factsheet.pdf