The Port of Gothenburg has deployed two electric trucks dedicated to container flows to the port – with a third such vehicle joining them shortly.
In a press release, the port explained the investment in the trucks was not made without meticulous planning – referring to the fact that heavy electric trucks have different properties and are relatively expensive compared with their fossil equivalents.
“We don’t want to be standing on the side-line when the transition takes place – we want to be leading the way, and we’re also seeing our customers increasingly requesting sustainable transport operations. With that in mind, this was a pretty easy decision to make,” said Johan Söderström, CCO at Skaraslättens Transport.
“Economically, it’s a challenge, and it’s an investment with a longer payback time. So customers that want to use our electric trucks for their transport needs are urged to sign longer agreements with us, which is something we find that they understand. People are prepared to take a broader view and think outside the box,” added Söderström.
The port admits that the new vehicles have limitations in terms of their range. During the night, the vehicles will be charged at the port’s vehicle terminal, which is operated by Logent Ports & Terminals.
The Port of Gothenburg also has public charging facilities already available in the middle of the port.
Cirkle K’s station at Vädermotet has six chargers for heavy trucks each with charging power of 360 kW. In 2023, additional public charging stations will become available in the central areas of the port.
“It provides peace of mind to have public charging in the port, to supplement our depot-based charging. We’ll probably need to have some top-up charging capacity, but it’s difficult to say how much right now. There’s only one way to find out exactly how it’s going to work in practice, and that’s to dive in and give it a go. We’re now really full of anticipation, and it will be great to be able to show Gothenburg our new vehicles,” stated Söderström.
Skaraslättens’ three electric trucks represent an important milestone in the eyes of the Port of Gothenburg, but the port adds that haulage companies and freight forwarders are preparing to deploy electric heavy trucks too.
DFDS is one example, as they will be deploying many of the more than 120 electric heavy trucks they have on order in flows at the Port of Gothenburg later this year.
“It’s really great to see the transition happening here and now. From the port’s perspective, it’s important that we continue to lower the thresholds for those wanting to make the transition to a climate-smarter transport system,” says Elvir Dzanic, CEO at the Gothenburg Port Authority.
Finally, later this year, additional charging infrastructure will be available, and two hydrogen stations are to be built for heavy trucks.
