HHLA to use lithium-ion battery powered vehicles

Automated container transporters (AGV) at at HHLA Container Terminal Alternwerder (CTA) will be powered by lithium-ion batteries in the future, as they move containers between ships and the yard.

The use of green energy prevents any CO₂, nitric oxide or particulate matter from being emitted and the vehicles are also three times more efficient than their diesel-powered predecessors, noted the terminal operator.

The machines can also contribute to the stabilisation of the grid by precisely extracting or feeding energy during their time at the charging station.

Germany’s ministry of environment and energy will provide funding worth approximately €8m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the project.

Angela Titzrath, chairwoman of HHLA’s executive board, said that the company would set itself new goals after hitting its self-imposed target of reducing CO₂ emissions per container by 30% compared to 2008 ahead of schedule.

A lithium-ion battery-powered AGV prototype has been in operation at the CTA since autumn 2016 and was successfully tested together with an electric charging station.

Thanks to a fully automated loading arm, the AGV will be supplied with the green energy used at the CTA.

Six of these charging stations have already been installed at Altenwerder. Over the coming weeks, 25 lithium-ion battery-powered AGVs will go into operation at the CTA.

By the end of 2022, the fleet of almost 100 AGVs will be completely switched over to lithium-ion battery drive and a total of 18 charging stations will be installed.

This is expected to result in an annual reduction in emissions of approximately 15,500 tonnes of CO₂ and around 118 tonnes of nitrogen oxide.