MAFI debuts propane port tractor at Breakbulk Americas show

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) joined German manufacturer MAFI to showcase the company’s first propane-powered port tractor at the Breakbulk Americas show Sept. 27-29 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

MAFI’s propane-powered port tractor. (Image: MAFI)

MAFI is a developer and manufacturer of heavy-duty vehicles used to transport cargo and special container chassis at ports throughout the world. At Breakbulk, the company showcased its first propane-powered port tractor on U.S. soil.

The tractor features PSI’s CARB-certified .02 NOx 8.8-liter propane engine. PSI has said the ultra-low NOx, heavy-duty propane engine is one of the cleanest engines available in the market. In addition, PERC says, propane port tractors are about one-third the cost of their electric counterparts and offer cost benefits with refueling infrastructure.

“This propane port tractor provides the least cost per grams of carbon reduction for ports, and they are commercially available today,” says Joe Calhoun, director of off-road business development at PERC. “With propane, clean energy is accessible to everyone, allowing ports to make meaningful change today by cleaning up their emissions without expensive electric infrastructure.”

Propane has been powering vehicles, forklifts and other pieces of equipment for decades. With grant money available for propane-powered port applications through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, DERA grants and the Infrastructure Investment Act, according to PERC, port authorities across the country can begin to accelerate decarbonization by adopting propane.

Editor’s note: This article was updated to reflect the show’s completion.