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More and more electric material handling vehicles are being used at locations as diverse as seaports, inland ports, warehouses, and distribution centers. One of the biggest challenges in the transition to operating battery-powered equipment at these critical logistics hubs is finding the space, time, and sources of energy for recharging.
Whether crews use electric terminal tractors, drayage trucks, or forklifts, the vehicles must keep running to meet deadlines and keep the economy running. Port operators simply cannot afford to let equipment sit idle because of inadequate charging infrastructure.
The workaround for this challenge? Microgrids. Microgrids are mobile, off-electrical-grid power systems that can be fueled by a number of sources such as natural gas, solar, wind, and propane. With the abundance of propane in America, propane microgrids are an easy, powerful, and versatile solution to charge electric vehicles and equipment.
How a propane microgrid works
Propane microgrids come in various sizes and trailer lengths, typically from 15 all the way up to 53 feet. A trailer containing a propane tank (or tanks, depending on the size) and a generator is placed in the most convenient location on a property, typically along a perimeter edge. Conduit is run from the trailer to a bank of charging stations. Electric vehicles are then quickly and easily connected to the charging stations, recharged, and introduced back into the material handling operation.
Propane microgrids are powerful and reliable enough to keep electric vehicles running indefinitely, as long as there is an ongoing propane supply. According to Scott Bradley, director of sales and strategic partnerships at Pioneer eMobility, the company’s e-Boost POD provides 4.2 MWh of onboard energy, which translates to about 600 gallons of propane.
Microgrids can handle the rigors of a variety of applications beyond those of a port. For example, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) uses a microgrid to charge its 40-foot-long city buses, which require 144 KWh, or 20 gallons of propane per night per vehicle. To keep the microgrid supplied with fuel, the department houses a 1,000-gallon propane tank on site.
Propane microgrids are incredibly versatile and can be used for any number of business models. Bradley said the City of Fairfield, California uses the e-Boost PODs as a backup power source for one of its buildings, which includes a 220 KWh charger.
Fast and easy installation
Propane microgrids are flexible enough to be installed quickly and the installation requires minimal approval. For example, the LADOT application was installed in just two days. The amount of time it takes to connect chargers to the conventional electrical grid is typically more than a month, and that can only happen after a years-long approval process, making the entire transition painfully slow.
According to Bradley, two days is a typical installation timeline. The trailers and the microgrid itself are rolled onto the property. The microgrid is then connected either to the propane tank inside the trailer or to an external tank. For the final step, it takes about a day to a day-and-a-half to put down metal troughs and connect wiring to the chargers.
The benefits of propane
Pioneer eMobility works with several propane providers, including Suburban Propane, to ensure that abundant fuel is available no matter where microgrids are located. Suburban offers renewable propane, a fuel that has the exact same chemical composition and benefits as conventional propane but is made from feedstocks such as plants and used cooking oils.
No matter which type of propane is used, however, it is a low-carbon-intensity fuel with very low nitrogen oxide emissions. Propane also has virtually no particulate matter, which is the hazardous smoke emitted from a diesel generator.
The future of propane microgrids
The future of propane microgrids for material handling applications is bright. In fact, Bradley said they will be integral by 2035 and beyond for several reasons. One is the simple fact that it will be challenging, if not impossible, to connect facilities like warehouses and distribution centers to the electrical grid in many parts of the country.
“Today, it’s three years’ delay in getting power,” he said. “There will be an increase in delay to get permanent infrastructure. The grid will not have caught up yet.” He added that at a typical distribution center, a propane microgrid can be used to recharge trucks overnight at 30 KWh for about eight hours. An electric forklift can be charged with a Level 2 fast charger.
“It’s easy, it’s fast, and that’s what they need,” Bradley said.
