Electric empty container handler debuts

THE TRUCK will be powered by 650-volt lithium-ion batteries, with electricity sourced from solar panels on site. With more than 95% of CARU Container’s Scope 1 CO2 emissions coming from its diesel forklifts and empty container handler in 2021, the introduction of the electric Hyster Empty container handler can help the company to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, while also helping to reduce its operational expenditure in terms of diesel costs.

CARU Containers sustainability officer Thirza Belder, says: “We are keen to integrate sustainability into our entire value chain as we are striving to be net zero before 2030. Therefore, we started discussions with Hyster in 2021 to provide electric lift trucks and equipment for our depot, which later led to the electric empty container handler.”

CARU already possesses a 240 kilowatt-hour capacity battery that can store enough energy to charge the empty container handler for most of the year, supplemented with grid power when solar energy is less efficient during shorter winter days. This solution is expected to supply sufficient charge to allow the truck to complete five to six required hours of work during a shift before being recharged overnight. Throughout the site, CARU has installed measuring devices to calculate what percentage of the energy used comes from solar.

“This is a great application for a fully electric vehicle on a site that produces its own electricity,” enthuses Jan Willem van den Brand, director, global business development big trucks, Hyster. “The fully electric empty container handler we are supplying to CARU Containers follows years of research and development into sustainable technologies for the port and container handling industry.”

For more information, visit www.hyster.com