With electrification projects underway for the Port of Los Angeles in the US and Valencia in Spain, Hyster Europe reveals some surprising facts about the progress of the zero-emission Container Handler projects.
Two Laden Container Handlers and one ReachStacker are currently in development at the Hyster® Big Truck Development Centre in the Netherlands. The zero-emission machines incorporate electricity at high voltage as the main energy source to power fully electric motors. Testing has shown that the machines in development offer comparable, or potentially even better, performance to the equivalent IC models and provide excellent energy efficiency and a low cost of ownership.
Project Leader for Hyster Europe Willem Nieuwland explains: “The energy recovery achieved by the Container Handlers in test is more than expected, largely due to the full flow hydraulic energy recovery. Energy consumption reductions of up to 15% are expected compared to trucks without these systems.”
Patented Hyster® energy recovery systems recover and store energy from lowering loads and braking. The innovative systems help to increase uptime through longer periods between charges, while also helping to reduce the overall energy costs.
The first electric Hyster® H1150HD-CH is purely powered by a large lithium-ion battery, which is charged by a high-power, wireless fast charger. It will be used by a port operator in the Port of Los Angeles. Hyster expects that the “batteryonly” approach will suit applications with a medium-duty cycle where there is suitable energy infrastructure and a strict charge management regime for opportunity charging.
“It will not suit larger fleets due to the high demand on the electricity grid, or where multiple trucks are charged at the same time,” says Willem. “Managing peak power demand will be a complex challenge for some operations, which is where the fuel cell comes in.”
The second electric Container Handler Hyster has developed also features a large lithium-ion battery but is re-charged by two onboard fuel cells during operation. This approach better suits the challenges of the test site at Fenix Marine Services in the Port of Los Angeles and other heavy-duty terminal operations.
“The use of hydrogen reduces planning complexity or charging. Continuous operation is possible as long as hydrogen is available from the on-board hydrogen tanks. Even where refilling is required, this is only expected to take around 15 minutes,” continues Willem. “Plus, the battery can also be charged during lunch and other breaks to minimise refuelling requirements further.”
HYSTER
Comments are closed.