Electric trucks now in use for container traffic at the Port of Gothenburg
Skaraslättens Transport is Sweden’s biggest provider of container transport on the roads, hauling 850-900 containers daily to all Swedish container ports. The lion share goes to the Port of Gothenburg, and today the haulage company deployed two electric trucks on container flows to the port – with a third truck joining them shortly, according to the Port of Gothenburg's release.
One of the new electric trucks will transport containers in shuttle traffic between Nordicon's terminal in Gothenburg and the Port of Gothenburg's container terminal operated by APM Terminals. The other two are used in the haulier's regular traffic for transport between the container terminal and customers in the Gothenburg region.
Skaraslättens Transport is Sweden’s biggest provider of container transport on the roads, hauling 850-900 containers daily to all Swedish container ports. The lion share goes to the Port of Gothenburg, and today the haulage company deployed two electric trucks on container flows to the port – with a third truck joining them shortly.
Even though electrical power is a superior alternative with regard to the carbon footprint, it is not an investment to be made without meticulous planning. Heavy electric trucks have different properties and are relatively expensive compared with their fossil equivalents.
The new vehicles do also have limitations in terms of their range. It’s a matter of finding the right flows and transport patterns, close to easily accessible charging infrastructure. 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.
Skaraslättens’ three electric trucks represent an important milestone for the Port of Gothenburg, yet at the same time they are just the beginning of a development that will accelerate during 2023, with more haulage companies and freight forwarders preparing to deploy electric heavy trucks. 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. This is a rapid development, which the Gothenburg Port Authority welcomes and wants to continue to support.
2021 year saw the launch of the Tranzero Initiative project to increase the rate of transition in the transport sector, with a special focus on land-based transport to and from the port. The project is a collaboration between the Gothenburg Port Authority, the Volvo Group, Scania and Stena Line. In 2023, additional charging infrastructure will be available, and two hydrogen stations are to be built for heavy trucks. Electric heavy trucks already have priority in many port terminals, and additional Tranzero Initiatives are being prepared at the port to offer greater incentives and speed up the transition.
