Hutchison Ports’ Port of Felixstowe has kick started its autonomous truck project featuring Westwell’s Q-Trucks.
Port of Felixstowe, part of the Hutchison Ports’ network, has launched the implementation of its autonomous truck (AT) project.
The quayside implementation of ATs started on April 22, 2024, and is segmented into four phases. The phase one represents the first interaction of ATs with full mixed-mode traffic in a quayside environment, which means that the automated trucks will be working simultaneously in the same area of the port with manned units.
“All phases will be conducted under strictly controlled safety conditions with the ATs following predesignated routes,” Hutchinson Ports (UK) said.
“Prior to implementation an extensive training programme was undertaken to ensure all employees and third-party visitors, including hauliers, have a full and comprehensive understanding of necessary safety protocols.”
WorldCargo News has reached out to Hutchison Ports for more details on the implementation process, and has not received a comment on the matter.
The battery-powered autonomous Q-Trucks have been developed by Shanghai Westwell Technology Co., Ltd (Westwell), and Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe ordered 100 units in June 2023. They feature swappable battery technology called PowerOnAir. The autonomous trucks only need human intervention for plugging and unplugging at the charging stations, and the intention is to automate this process as well, as explained by Hutchison.
The Q-Trucks are equipped with industrial-grade sensors, and they are capable of performing uninterrupted 24-hour operations. They have precise positioning capabilities, and a “taxi-taking” model optimizing route efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
According to Kenny Tan, the founder and CEO of Westwell, a single autonomous truck can do the work of four drivers while saving energy and reducing carbon emissions compared to fuel-powered vehicles.
The first batch of trucks, containing 12 units, arrived at Felixstowe in October 2023.
As the UK’s largest and busiest container port, Port of Felixstowe is the first international port in Europe to introduce “autonomous trucks” to mixed transport container terminal operations.
As reported by WorldCargo News, Felixstowe has issued guidelines to truck drivers for working around the Q-Trucks. These include requirements for all traffic to give way (or yield) to the Q-Trucks at junctions and at the end of container rows. It should be noted that as well as a safety system that includes collision avoidance, the Q-Trucks feature a large LED panel that indicates their direction of travel and turning intentions to any manned machines.
The maximum speed of the Q-Trucks is limited to 20mph for safety, which is also the speed limit within the port, and truck drivers are forbidden from overtaking a Q-Truck. In the RTG block, a truck is allows to pull into the row ahead of a Q-Truck providing they maintain a safe distance of 8m from the Q-Truck.
Westwell and Hutchison Ports are planning to build the largest electric autonomous commercial vehicle fleet to date. The two companies launched their cooperation in 2018.
The technology was initially introduced in 2020 at the Laem Chabang Port’s D Terminal, Thailand, and is now being implemented across other terminals, including UAE and the UK.
Specifically, in 2021 CSP Abu Dhabi Terminal, operated by CSP Ports, introduced six Westwell Q-Truck autonomous vehicles into its operations.
Hutchison Ports said that for the seamless integration of the trucks at D Terminal it was very important to reengineer the business process and rebuild coordination among all entities from the ground up. The trucks were integrated into the operations flow with remote controlled RTGs and quay cranes to reduce the need for human decision-making. In addition, the port has relocated twistlock handling to a secure location near the backreach area, eliminating the need for human activities directly underneath the quay crane footprint.
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