Climate United x Forum Mobility Electric Drayage Truck Program

Climate United announced a new program to offer affordable leasing options for battery electric trucks to small fleets and independent operators to lower operational costs and reduce air pollution in port communities, beginning at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles with the intention to expand nationally. Leveraging a $6.97 billion award from the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Clean Investment Fund, Climate United Fund intends to invest up to $250 million to purchase up to 500 class 8 electric trucks, making it the largest single order of electric trucks in U.S. history. This program will accelerate the growth of electric truck manufacturing and battery technology innovation that is needed to deploy zero-emission, heavy-duty vehicles in communities across America.

Climate United is partnering with California-based Forum Mobility to develop a program that meets the needs of small fleet operators. Forum Mobility is building a network of staffed and secure electric truck charging depots in California ports and along common freight routes, and provides charging services to help fleets navigate the transition to zero-emission vehicles. Elemental Impact, a non-profit investor in climate technologies, is further assisting Forum Mobility with policy support, community engagement, and additional wrap-around program services. California regulation requires all of California’s drayage fleet of approximately 33,000 trucks to be zero-emission by 2035. Forum Mobility’s partnership with Climate United will help ensure small operators are not left behind in that transition. 

The Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles account for more than 30% of all container imports to the United States, and pollutants from diesel drayage trucks harm the health of nearby port communities, which are disproportionately low-income communities and communities of color. Regional pollution of PM2.5 and nitrogen oxides leads to an estimated 483 premature deaths and more than 15,000 asthma attacks per year, two-thirds of which occur in low-income communities. This project will mitigate these negative health impacts while decreasing emissions by an estimated 50,000 tons of CO2 per year.