APMT Elizabeth accelerates $5 million electrification project

APM Terminals (APMT) Elizabeth has reported good progress on its $5 million Electrification Pilot Project.

According to APMT Elizabeth, this development was made possible by a $1.4 million Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Henrik Kristensen, Managing Director of APMT Elizabeth, said: “The project wouldn’t have been possible without the funding assistance and support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“APM Terminals has set a goal to reach net zero in 2040 with one of the tools being the use of electric container handling equipment.

“Collaboration in this area is vital to accelerate the study, scale and adoption of standardized solutions that will ultimately reduce costs for industry to decarbonise for the benefit of our customers and the environment.”

The terminal collaborated with the Leonardo Academy, a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable transportation methods, to launch the pilot initiative.

The pilot programme will reportedly investigate important performance and operational elements of deploying electric trucks in order to assess technological maturity and assure terminal preparedness. The new eTTs will benefit yard, rail and vessel operations.

The terminal finished construction of its charging infrastructure in late 2023, allowing the eTTs to be deployed this spring. The terminal contains nine Heliox level 3 fast charging stations ranging from 60 to 180 kilowatts (kW).

In a terminal industry first on the US East Coast, the installation features an InductEV wireless level 3 150 kW fast charging station, allowing vehicles to recharge simply by parking on a charging pad.

The eTTs can run for 16-20 hours after only two hours of charging time. A power purchase agreement ensures that the electric terminal tractors are charged with 100 per cent renewable energy.

Jennifer Murphey, Head of Project Management for APMT Elizabeth, stated: “With full utilisation, each electric terminal tractor saves up to 1,100 tonnes of GHG generation annually and eliminates harmful particulate pollution. Cleaner vehicles mean cleaner air for the community.”

In April, Rijeka Gateway, a joint venture between APMT and ENNA Logic, announced plans to install more than 60 electric container handling equipment.