The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans to demo a battery-electric BYD Class 8 yard truck for several weeks.

The truck has a 10-hour operating range on a charge, and will replace one of the legacy diesel yard trucks that currently operate at the Port Authority’s Red Hook facility in Brooklyn.

Yard trucks, also known as terminal trucks, hostlers, yard mules, or yard goats, are the most commonly-used heavy-duty vehicles for cargo handling.  Spewing diesel fumes 24/7 at ports, railyards, and warehouses that are often located near residential areas, they are prime candidates for electrification. 27 BYD goats went into service at LA-area freight facilities in March.

“New York and New Jersey have always been home to innovation, and we’re glad to see them embracing electric trucks as reliable replacements for dirty industrial diesel vehicles,” said Stella Li, President of BYD America. “We look forward to seeing the results of this demo, and many more zero-emission light- and heavy-duty trucks in New York and New Jersey.”

Source: BYD