Construction Begins on Truck Charging Depot at POLB

A new charging depot that will be operated by Forum Mobility broke ground last week, aimed at meeting the accelerating demand for heavy-duty electric trucks serving the Port of Long Beach.

The facility, scheduled to go online in fall, moves the port closer toward achieving a goal of zero-emissions operations for drayage trucks by 2035.

Forum Mobility’s facility, located just north of the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge at 260 Pico Ave., will be equipped with 19 dual-port chargers and six single-dispenser chargers capable of powering up 44 heavy-duty electric trucks simultaneously in about 90 minutes – depending on battery size.

In addition to the Port of Long Beach, Forum Mobility has eight additional stations scheduled to open within the next two years along critical freight corridors throughout California, including locations in Compton, the Inland Empire, Oakland and Stockton.

The Port of Long Beach is assisting truck drivers by partnering with the Port of Los Angeles, the California Air Resources Board and CALSTART to make $60 million in clean truck fund rate funding available for vouchers toward the purchase of zero-emission, Class 8 drayage trucks operating within the San Pedro Bay ports complex.

Small trucking fleets (20 trucks and fewer) can receive up to $436,000 for a battery-electric truck, and up to $676,000 for a hydrogen fuel cell truck in incentives. Funds are available through the California Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Incentive Project or HVIP; funding information can be found at https://californiahvip.org/.