Port of Oakland currently leading the world in zero pollution efforts

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Port of Oakland helped turn a page in history this morning, as it opened the very first commercial, zero emission, hydrogen truckstop in the world. Out of that truck stop, the nation’s largest fleet of heavy hydrogen trucks will prove conclusively that trucks really can haul heavy freight and not pollute at all. When it comes to cleaning up, many environmentalists say this port gets it.    

Marissa Esquer, is a modern-day test pilot, anchored to the road. “It’s very easy to get on the freeway, very easy to maneuver, everything is very smooth, steering is smooth,” said Esquer.

The veteran diesel trucker is one of a very few chosen to prove that hydrogen-powered trucks can haul the freight, emissions-free. “I love it. I really love it. I enjoy it. It’s very quiet,” said Esquer.

On Thursday, a huge public-private mega project, NorCAL ZERO, became fully online at the Port of Oakland, the only heavy commercial hydrogen truck stop on Earth. It can fuel 200 trucks a day.

“And we can fuel trucks, back-to-back, 10-minute fill. So, it’s very comparable to what you would get with diesel and conventional fuel,” said Matt Miyasoto of First Element Fuel.

Thirty Hyundai XCIENT fuel cell big rigs are the nation’s largest fleet. “With more than 400 miles of driving range, powerful acceleration, payload capacity and, importantly, short refueling time,” said Jim Park, Hyundai’s Senior Vice President. 

This is a real truck, from a real production line, that we delivered here to the largest fleet now operating in North America. That is a very big deal. “And now we have line of sight to zero emission. And I point to things like this and say it is possible,” said California Air Resource Board Chairperson Liana Randolph.

Yet, there are detractors, much like modern electric vehicles had at the start about price, range. 

“Those arguments have zero legitimacy if we all work together, and we work to make the change happen,” said the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Phillip Fine. “The Stone Age did not end because they ran out of stones, they created something better, said Oakland Councilmember and Environmentalist Rebecca Kaplan.

Asthma and cancer-ridden West Oakland will have better health for sure. “The only safe emission is no emissions. That’s what we found out,” said Brian Beveridge, Co-Director of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Program.

The Port already uses electric cranes, vehicles and shore power to ships to stop idling pollution.

“We look forward to using this station not only for trucks and equipment, and eventually, boats and ships are gonna be using hydrogen as a source of energy,” said Port of Oakland Director Danny Wan.

 With the NorCAL ZERO project, Port of Oakland is currently leading the way for the entire world.