Electric trucks operating at Port of Vancouver for pilot project

Electric container trucks are now operating at the Port of Vancouver as part of a pilot program.

Some of the container trucks heading to and from the Port of Vancouver may seem eerily quiet, as trucking companies test going electric.

Battery-powered trucks have begun operating at the port as part of a pilot project to promote alternative fuels and technologies.

Ginni Dhillon, who has been a truck driver for 15 years, told CTV News the electric trucks—with lane assist and an auto-braking system—make his job easier and safer.

“I was so excited, actually,” he said. “(For) a couple days, it’s going to be a different experience, but I really like it.”

Five companies have signed on to the project funded by Transport Canada, the province and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. They include Aheer Transportation, Lally Bros. Holding, Simard Westlink, TransBC Freight, and West Coast Freight.

Four electric trucks are currently on the road, and two more are expected to arrive later this year.

“As a trucking company, there’s a lot of emissions in our diesel trucks, and it’s important for us to do what we can to reduce that,” Brandon Abraham of Simard told CTV News.

Those behind the project hope the $3 million pilot will be the first step toward a lower-emissions future for the trucking industry.

“Our plan is to collect data over the coming year about the driver experience and how trucking companies are using this technology to compile that information in the study and share the results with industry and government,” Andrea MacLeod with the port authority told CTV News.