Two straddle carriers with environmentally friendly hybrid engines are now transporting containers between the ship, the yard, the rail terminal and the truck gate at the HHLA Container Terminal Tollerort (CTT) in the Port of Hamburg.
The two prototypes are expected to use at least fifteen per cent less diesel than their predecessors. Manufacturer Konecranes forecasts an annual reduction of 30 to 50 tonnes of CO2 per straddle carrier.
Hybrid Technology
The principle behind the hybrid technology is simple: the straddle carrier stores surplus energy, which is for example generated during braking or while the load is being lowered, in a high-performance lithium-ion battery. As it drives, the vehicle uses this energy from the battery. This significantly eases the load on the combustion engine.
Sustainability Targets
HHLA has set itself several targets concerning sustainability, including cutting CO2 emissions per container handled by thirty per cent between 2008 and 2020. It had already succeeded in bringing about a 28.9 per cent reduction by 2017. HHLA uses innovative technology to achieve this ambitious target, which it often develops with the manufacturer. For instance, in 2009, HHLA and Gottwald Port Technologies – which has also been part of Konecranes since 2017 – successfully tested the world’s first battery-powered container transport vehicles together at the Container Terminal Altenwerder. The vehicles have been in operation ever since.
