Kalmar announces first order for zero-emission straddle carrier

A week after introducing the new ‘Electric Straddle Carrier’ Charge Family, Cargotec brand Kalmar has secured a significant order from DP World for eight fully electric Kalmar straddle carriers with high-energy batteries at its London Gateway logistics hub.

For those unfamiliar, straddle carriers are a type of cargo-handling vehicle commonly used in airports and shipping ports, such as the London Gateway logistics hub services. According to Kalmar, the “Charge Family comprises battery technologies, charging solutions and software to support operators of both manual and automated terminals with their transition towards decarbonised operations.” The batteries range from being capable of running up to four hours on continuous operation and a charging time of 45 to 50 minutes, to a fast-charging variant that can be fully charged in five to six minutes, but can only run for up to 50 minutes.

As mentioned with the battery options, there are also two charging options, with a standard CCS interface, or the “optional FastCharge technology where the onboard battery is charged via a pantograph”. The company also provides charging optimization software, which is intended to automatically assign charging tasks to the operator to increase efficiency at the charging stations. Further, Kalmar also offers fleet optimization software, as well as the ”Insight Energy Module, which provides visibility over battery charging status, energy utilisation and charging KPIs”.

The delivery of the machines is scheduled for Q2 2024. The electric straddle carriers with high-energy batteries will be capable of operating for up to four hours. Furthermore, no major changes are required to the yard infrastructure as the charging stations will be located in parking areas outside operational hotspots. The straddle carriers will also be fitted with a standard CCS2 charging interface that is compatible with any commercial charging station. DP World will also install two Kalmar FastCharge charging stations in the yard area that can be used to top up the machines’ batteries during shifts.

“Our new high-energy battery technology has been developed in response to customer demand for a battery-based solution that is more closely aligned with their operating patterns,” explained Mikko Mononen, Vice President of Sales Management and Horizontal Transportation at Kalmar, adding: “We have been working with DP World London Gateway for many years on solutions to help them improve efficiency and reduce the impact of their operations on the environment. The terminal has been piloting a fully electric straddle carrier since 2018, and this project has served to demonstrate that fully electric machines are the optimal next step on the terminal’s decarbonisation journey.”

Some time has passed since we last reported on Kalmar, which gained attention in 2018 for a deal with Lufthansa to implement a 700 kW electric tug at the Frankfurt Airport. Just weeks prior, Kalmar had announced plans to offer electric variants of their entire fleet by 2021.

kalmarglobal.com (Electric Straddle), kalmarglobal.com (order from London)