Antwerp has first all-electric container lift

The first all-electric container lift in continental Europe was recently commissioned at PSA’s MPET terminal in the port of Antwerp. Konecranes, the manufacturer, used the latest battery technology in building the lift, allowing the e-straddle carrier to run continuously for more than four hours. Charging the battery takes about 90 minutes. In the coming months, MPET will evaluate the performance of the container lift during live operations, while Antwerp Terminal Services (ATS) looks at possible improvements to the equipment. ATS will also investigate other factors required for the large-scale implementation of this new technology.

This research is part of the Green Straddle Carrier programme, in which terminal operators are evaluating four technological pathways to reduce the carbon emissions of their vehicles in real-world environments: all-electric, hydrogen, battery/diesel and biofuel. The results of this evaluation will determine which technology will eventually be implemented on a large scale.