USA / China - Electric vehicle manufacturer, BYD Motors Inc, the Lancaster, California-based subsidiary of BYD Company Ltd of Shenzhen, China introduced its next generation 8Y, battery-electric yard tractor at the ACT Expo in California, USA last month. Manufactured in Lancaster, southern California, the new all-electric yard tractor is designed to provide performance, reliability, and improved driver comfort along with zero tailpipe emissions and quieter operation than a diesel equivalent. Alongside the launch, BYD announced it expected to deliver 14 second generation BYD 8Y yard tractors to two BNSF Railway intermodal facilities in Southern California.

First generation BYD 8Y yard tractors have been in use at rail yards and the San Pedro Bay ports since early 2018. Under the first phase of the project led by San Bernardino County Council of Governments (SBCCOG) and funded by the California Air Resources Board, six first generation BYD 8Y trucks went to work at the BNSF intermodal rail facilities in San Bernardino and the City of Commerce, as well as three units at Daylight Transport, LLC in the City of Fontana.