The demonstration showcased a heavy-duty electric truck operating autonomously in coordination with a hands-free charging station. Organisers say the technology has the potential to reduce energy consumption and improve logistics productivity in port environments.
The event attracted representatives from logistics companies, port authorities, and European policymakers, including partners from the PIONEERS project and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
Reyer Will, project manager for MAGPIE, emphasised the role of both automation and electrification in decarbonising port transport operations.
“Electric and automated road transport is a key component in reducing emissions from logistics activities in and around port areas,” he said during his presentation.
The Port of Rotterdam, which aims to significantly reduce its CO₂ emissions by 2030, welcomed the development. Berte Simons, COO of the Port Authority, said the project “supports the port’s energy transition strategy” and contributes to achieving climate targets.
The regulatory landscape for automated driving systems (ADS) was addressed by Anouk van der Laan, Senior Policy Officer for Smart Mobility at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Her keynote outlined current Dutch legislation and the steps required to enable broader deployment of automated logistics technologies.
Technical insights and challenges were discussed by Jaco van Meijeren of TNO, who covered the scalability of electric and automated trucking. Industry partners DAF Trucks and Rocsys also presented details of the pilot project and invited feedback from attendees.
The demonstration is one of ten pilot initiatives under the MAGPIE (sMArt Green Ports as Integrated Efficient multimodal hubs) project, which is co-funded by the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Union. The aim is to explore practical innovations that can be deployed in real-world port settings.
