Pakistani port promises 70 new electric trucks in $76M ZEV push

A port operator in Karachi, Pakistan is spending $76 million to replace diesel equipment with electric versions at the country's main deep-water container terminal. The plan includes more than 70 new electric terminal tractors (yard trucks used to move shipping containers), electric material handlers, two remote-controlled electric cranes, 17 remote-controlled electric gantry cranes, and 40 electric trailers with built-in batteries and motors. Ten electric trailers arrived this August, with 20 electric trucks due in October and 50 more trucks and 40 trailers set to arrive by mid-2027. More cranes are planned through 2028.

The trucks themselves are built in China and run on a 282 kWh battery using LFP (lithium iron phosphate) chemistry, a battery type known for being durable and stable. Loaded, they can haul up to 75 tons and get about 150 km of range. They can fast-charge to 80 percent in around 40 minutes, or swap in a fresh battery in about five minutes — faster than fueling a comparable diesel truck. The port operator says it already ran a smaller fleet of these trucks for more than 450,000 km over the past year with good results, which is part of why it's expanding the program.

This is industrial-scale news about shipping and freight infrastructure overseas, not something tied to home energy programs or rebates. It has no direct bearing on home upgrades, but it does show how quickly battery and fast-charging technology is scaling up in heavy equipment, the same technology showing up in smaller forms like home batteries and EV chargers.