$2.5M federal grant to boost hydrogen fuel use at Port of Oakland

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a $2.5 million grant to develop and demonstrate advances in fuel cell technology at the Port of Oakland. The grant is part of the Biden/Harris Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The total project cost will be over $7 million and is another part of the Port's effort to transform all aspects of maritime operations to zero emissions.

"We are working non-stop towards achieving the goal of becoming a zero-emissions port," said Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan. “We thank the U.S. Department of Energy for selecting Oakland to be part of this hydrogen project. Oakland is at the forefront of this innovative clean energy technology for the transportation industry."

Port stakeholders, including the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC), TraPac, and Hyster-Yale Group, will provide local project funding under existing cost-sharing agreements. Alameda CTC is providing up to $2 million to support this project.

Project benefits include:

• Advancing the commercialization of zero-emissions container handling equipment (CHE) by developing and demonstrating two zero-emissions fuel cell electric top loaders (FCETLs) at a high technology readiness;

• Filling a key technology gap by using the Hyundai’s Class 8 fuel cell electric truck to develop the first zero-emission hydrogen wet-hose mobile refueler (WHMR); and

• Supplying fuel to hydrogen vehicles in ports and other industries, while maximizing operational uptime.

The FCETLs and WHMR will be demonstrated in regular container handling service at the Port of Oakland.

This demonstration project will take four years and expand the Port’s capabilities to use hydrogen fuel to power operations. It is a critical step in decarbonizing the goods movement industry at ports across the U.S.

Project partners and roles include:

• Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) - Prime contractor and project director;

• Hyster-Yale Group - Designer/builder of FCETLs, responsible party for upkeep and maintenance of FCETLs;

• Nuvera, subsidiary of Hyster – Provider of fuel cell systems, integration and field support;

• GTL Leasing - Designer/builder and responsible party for integrating a cascade fueling system on the base Hyundai Motor Company fuel cell electric truck, logistical supporter to operator;

• TraPac (Marine terminal operator at Port) - End-user that will run the FCETLs;

• West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project and CTE - Community outreach providers to communicate project benefits with local stakeholders; and

• Alameda CTC - Project funding partner.