First electric terminal tractor in Port of Helsingborg
Port of Helsingborg, the second-largest container harbour in Sweden, will enhance its operations by using electric terminal tractors. The first vehicle of this type was delivered to the port in late May. Three other tractors will arrive in Helsingborg during the current year.
The Port of Helsingborg has several key goals to implemented in the coming years. It intends to become the most sustainable port in Sweden by 2022 and the country’s most efficient port by 2030. To reach the targets, Helsingborgs Hamn AB, the port operating company, purchased four electric terminal tractors from Terberg Special Vehicles, a Dutch manufacturer of specialised vehicles for various industries. The first zero-emission vehicle was delivered to the Swedish port in the last days of May. Meanwhile, the second tractor will be supplied to Sweden in a couple of weeks and the remaining two units by the year’s end.
“We are very excited about the arrival of one of the first vehicles of the second-generation electric terminal tractors. Similar vehicles of the first generation are currently being used in airports, but I believe we are the first port in Sweden to use electrical terminal tractors. We look at this as a great opportunity. We are very excited to integrate the new electrical vehicle into our daily operations,” said Bart Steijaert, CEO at the Port of Helsingborg.
Substantial benefits
The second-generation electric terminal tractors have the same capacity and torque as conventional diesel vehicles do. Being powered from the batteries, they provide several substantial benefits for the port terminals including the positive environmental impact as well as quieter and more ergonomic work conditions for staff. New fast-charging stations have been developed and installed by ABB to meet the increased utility demand with the new terminal tractors. The port staff will be trained before putting the electric tractors into regular operations. To this end, simulations of the vehicle’s charging cycles are drafted and are made to logically follow the daily operations schedule and charge when staff are on breaks.