Scaling up battery‑electric terminal tractors to advance cleaner, high‑performance operations at Pier 400.

APM Terminals Los Angeles  and Orange EV today announced a contract for the procurement of 40 HUSK-e® XP battery-electric terminal tractors, expanding an existing fleet relationship to bring Pier 400’s total electric terminal tractor count to 60 units. The expansion completes the electrification of the terminal’s on-dock rail drayage fleet – the first container terminal in the Port of Los Angeles to reach that milestone.

The procurement expands a relationship built on operational results, validating the decision to scale. Since deploying 20 Orange EV terminal tractors at Pier 400 beginning in April 2025, the manually operated fleet has delivered strong performance across a demanding container handling environment. The existing units have accumulated 42,000 hours of zero-tailpipe emission operating hours with an average uptime rate of 98.8%, displaced more than 40,700 diesel equivalent gallons, and avoided an estimated 427 metric tons of CO₂.

Since 2017, Pier 400 has reduced emissions from its owned container handling equipment fleet by 82% for nitrogen oxides, 61% for diesel particulate matter, 56% for sulfur oxides, and 59% for greenhouse gases, according to the Port of Los Angeles Air Emissions Inventory.

“This procurement is grounded in 12 months of real-world performance data,” said Jon Poelma, Managing Director of APM Terminals Los Angeles. “Our operators ran these trucks hard, and the results earned this expansion. Their performance feedback drove the standard we required, and our lead mechanics are trained and ready to keep this fleet running at the highest level.”

Building workforce skills

Ahead of the new units entering service, a select group of lead International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) mechanics will complete a Level 2 electrical safety training course, building on the foundational training completed by 21 Power Shop mechanics in 2025. An Orange EV HUSK-e XP unit has also been placed at the ILWU mechanic training center, where it will serve as a hands-on training asset for the broader workforce.

Advancing fleet electrification at scale

With 60 electric terminal tractors anticipated in operation by January 2027, Pier 400 will have converted approximately 60% of its 101-unit terminal tractor fleet to battery-electric – the highest conversion rate among container terminals at the Port of Los Angeles. The procurement advances APM Terminals’ commitment towards full terminal tractor fleet conversion, supported by an additional grant application currently in progress for 30 more electric units.

The terminal currently operates 51 chargers – more than any other terminal in the San Pedro Bay harbor complex – with existing infrastructure supporting the initial deployment of the 40 new units. To support the expanded fleet, the terminal will procure an additional 20 dual-plug Level 3 fast-charging stations through a separate competitive request for proposal process, anticipated to be issued in Q2 2026.

Purpose-built electric power: Orange EV HUSK-e XP

The HUSK-e XP units are manufactured at Orange EV’s production facility in Kansas City, Kansas, and are fully compliant with the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) requirements applicable to the EPA Clean Ports Program, with no waivers required. Each truck is purpose-built for heavy port and terminal operations, capable of moving up to 180,000 lbs. of combined weight. The vehicles employ a 310 kWh Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, the largest available battery pack in the Orange EV lineup.

The contract reflects APM Terminals’ procurement approach of evaluating total value over the life of the asset – encompassing spare parts availability, performance metrics, and service response standards – rather than unit cost alone.

“In environments like APM Terminals, performance is measured in uptime, throughput, and reliability,” said Kurt Neutgens, Co-Founder, President, and CTO of Orange EV. “We’ve worked closely with the Pier 400 team even before the first units were deployed, and their operational feedback directly informed improvements to the HUSK-e XP. This expansion reflects both the strength of our partnership and a broader inflection point, where fleets are standardizing around Orange EV trucks to improve uptime and total cost of ownership.”

Funding the transition: the EPA Clean Ports Program

The procurement is part of APM Terminals’ $80 million sub-recipient contract under the EPA Clean Ports Program, awarded through the Port of Los Angeles. The project scope encompasses the replacement of 64 pieces of container handling equipment – including top handlers, forklifts, and cone carts. Funding is structured as 60% federal EPA Clean Ports Program grant dollars, 20% Port of Los Angeles contribution, and 20% APM Terminals capital investment. As part of its broader fleet electrification program at Pier 400, the terminal has committed $40 million of its own capital to accelerate the transition from pilot projects to full-scale deployment.

“The EPA Clean Ports Program was designed to deliver cleaner air to port communities, and APM Terminals is demonstrating how that investment is meant to work,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “Sixty human-operated, electric terminal tractors operating at Pier 400 means fewer diesel exhaust emissions for the workers and the communities neighboring the port. This is the Clean Ports Program achieving its purpose – real equipment, in operation, making a measurable difference.”