Hutchison Ports first introduced Westwell’s Q-Trucks at Terminal D in Thailand’s Laem Chabang Port in 2020. Fifteen Q-Trucks ran in mixed mode operation with no separation from other traffic, and have handled over 334,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) moves since their introduction.
Some of the battery-powered trucks have also been used at Felixstowe Port itself, and were deployed late last year after a successful trial. Now 100 more are due to come to the port, with the first units arriving in September of this year.
Commenting on the agreement, Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Felixstowe and Executive Director of Hutchison Ports, said:
“We are really excited to be working in partnership with Westwell to bring their ground breaking and AI-driven technology to the Port of Felixstowe. Following the positive introduction of autonomous trucks at our terminal in Thailand and after thorough and successful testing in Felixstowe, we are rolling the system out in the UK. The new trucks will increase the efficiency and operational consistency of our container handling as well as making a significant contribution to decarbonising operations at the port.”
Kenny Tan, Chairman of Westwell, added:
“Hutchison Ports is a significant global partner for Westwell. As a world leading company in intelligent mass-logistics, Westwell, with its holistic solution in new energy autonomous driving, can help increase efficiency while reducing costs and delivering sustainable development options. The contract also marks a very important development of Westwell’s Ainergy Strategy to utilise AI applications to reduce energy consumption and facilitate decarbonisation. In this respect we will continue to explore opportunities to commercialise new developments with Hutchison Ports to equip global logistics for sustainable development.”