HHLA deploys electric trucks

At the beginning of June, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) put the first two electrically powered trucks into operation at its in-house freight forwarder Container-Transport-Dienst GmbH (CTD) as part of its sustainability strategy.

CTD will initially use the new electric trucks for container transfers in the Port of Hamburg and subject them to extensive testing. HHLA will gather data during tests to assess the performance and efficiency of e-trucks, focusing on their operational use and charging cycles. Based on these insights HHLA will decide on potential future e-truck acquisitions.

The Volvo FH electric trucks have the capacity to cover a distance of 260 to 340 kilometres when fully loaded. The trucks are fitted with a 540 kWh battery and a maximum charge capacity of 250 kW. Initially, they will be charged using the public charging infrastructure, HHLA said.

“Environmentally friendly, resource-saving processes and logistics services represent a key pillar of our corporate strategy, which has been firmly established for many years. We have set ourselves the ambitious goal of achieving climate-neutral production across the Group by 2040. In this quest, we are committed to using innovative technologies in order to further reduce carbon emissions, which also benefits our customers. The launch of the new electric trucks is another decisive step for HHLA on the road to a more climate-friendly future,” Angela Titzrath, CEO of HHLA, said.

As part of the Clean Port & Logistics cluster, HHLA is also examining the use of hydrogen-powered equipment in tandem with partner companies and comparing this equipment to electric, battery-powered devices.

Furthermore, the HHLA rail subsidiary Metrans has been using and testing electric trucks for container transport for two years now. The first e-truck was launched in 2022 as part of the fleet of WIN Capital, Metrans’ road transport partner, and has been used primarily for the delivery of international freight cargo.