Long Beach, Calif. (4/16/19) – The BYD (Build Your Dreams) next generation 8Y battery electric
yard tractor makes its world premiere at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Long
Beach, showcasing a design that combines performance, reliability, improved driver comfort and
operability, along with zero tailpipe emissions and quiet operation.
The ACT Expo (https://www.actexpo.com/) runs from April 23-26 at the Long Beach Convention
Center.
The unveiling coincides with the expected delivery of 14 second generation 8Y yard tractors to
two BNSF Railway intermodal facilities in Southern California. First generation 8Y yard tractors
have been in use at railyards and the port since early 2018.
BYD’s second generation yard tractor features improvements that directly reflect feedback on
the first generation.
“We listened to the drivers, the operations managers, and the safety officers to make this the
best performing yard truck in the industry,” said John Gerra, BYD’s Director of Business
Development, Electric Trucks. “This is a vehicle that proves you can have both toughness and
driver comfort.”
The ongoing demonstration project at the BNSF facilities is paid for in large part by a $9.1 million
grant awarded to San Bernardino County Council of Governments (SBCOG) from the California
Air Resources Board (CARB). The grant comes through California Climate Investments
(http://www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov), a statewide program that puts billions of cap-and trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities. It
includes project partners such as BNSF and Daylight Transport, LLC, the project demonstrators,
as well as CALSTART, Inc. which will provide commercialization support and market assessment
of this project.
Zero-tailpipe freight transportation, off-road equipment, and on-road trucks, reduce emissions
near facilities that handle freight, along freight corridors, regionally, and globally.
“We are excited to be part of this initiative that will help bring zero-emission yard tractors to the
Inland Empire. This demonstration leads to the adaptation of cleaner technology on a much
broader scale,” SBCOG President Darcy McNaboe said. “Coupling this application with our
exploration into zero-emission train technology is a giant step forward to addressing air quality
issues in our county and throughout the region.”
Under the first phase of the project led by SBCOG and funded by CARB, six first-generation BYD
8Y trucks have been in service at BNSF intermodal rail facilities in San Bernardino and the City of
Commerce as well as three units at Daylight Transport, LLC in the City of Fontana. Use of those
vehicles and feedback from operations personnel provided a wealth of information, allowing BYD
to push the state-of-the-art in battery electric trucks to the next level.
You can get a hands-on experience and learn more about the second generation 8Y at the ACT
Expo on Friday, April 26. Start by checking out “The Future of Clean Cargo Handling Equipment”
forums and workshops sponsored by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA).
At 8:30 a.m., end users will report on their experiences, successes, lessons learned, and
challenges in deploying and operating clean technology trucks. That will be followed at 10 a.m.
with a panel of original equipment manufacturers, including BYD. The panel will showcase
available technology solutions for yard trucks, forklifts, top picks, side picks, and other vehicles.
At noon, get a hands-on experience aboard a second generation 8Y during the Ride & Drive
session. See for yourself how the next generation of heavy-duty trucks looks and feels.
The Official Sponsor of Mother Nature™, BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, is the world’s
leading electric vehicle company with proven innovative technology for cars, buses, trucks,
forklifts, and rail systems – like SkyRail. BYD is dedicated to creating a truly zero-emission
ecosystem offering technology for solar electricity generation, energy storage to save that
electricity, and battery electric vehicles powered by that clean energy. BYD has 220,000
employees across the globe, including nearly 1,000 in North America. For more information,
please visit www.BYD.com
