The Grimaldi Group will test the first fuel cell port tractor for loading and unloading cargo at the Spanish port.
The Port of Valencia is preparing for a world premiere: it will be the first port of call to use a hydrogen-powered port tractor to handle goods in transit. The “yard truck” will operate in the Europa Terminal on behalf of Grimaldi Group and will be aesthetically very similar to its diesel-powered versions. Inside, however, it will conceal batteries, fuel cells and an electric motor.
The vehicle is obviously still in the testing phase. It is part of the European project ‘H2Ports’, created to test the carrier in a challenging environment such as European port handling. An initiative worth 4 million euros that aims to achieve innovative solutions based on fuel cell technologies, testing them in real operational activities for two years.
The hydrogen tractor was designed and developed by the ATENA consortium with the support of ENEA, Cantieri del Mediterraneo and the Universities of Naples ‘Parthenope’ and Salerno.
“The hydrogen vehicle we helped develop is equipped with a hybrid fuel cell powertrain and lithium-ion batteries, which will enable the usual port logistics operations of loading and unloading goods from cargo ships,” explains researcher Viviana Cigolotti, ENEA manager for the project.
“The use of hydrogen will ensure good operational autonomy, short refueling times, low maintenance costs and above all zero emissions.” In comparison, the diesel engines mounted on board yard trucks – the main power technology for these vehicles – emit more than 500 tons of CO2 and 5 tons of nitrogen monoxide every year (per unit).
The prototype’s storage system will have a total capacity of about 12 kilograms of hydrogen, enough to ensure continuous operation for at least six hours, equal to the average duration of a work shift. But the real jewel on board is the electric motor, a highly efficient machine capable of receiving energy for traction simultaneously from both the fuel cell and the battery.
The power system is also capable of using the energy of braking to recharge the battery pack. The hydrogen tractor will ‘fill up’ at a mobile refueling station. The facility was developed by one of the project partners, Centro Nacional del Hidrógeno, to power a second test vehicle: a fuel cell forklift developed by Hyster Yale.
