In a project to create fuel cell powered terminal tractors, Kalmar, a division of Cargotec, is working with Toyota Tsusho America, based in New York, and worldwide strategic environmental engineering firm Ricardo.
As part of the initiative, a client of Kalmar in the USA will test two fuel cell-powered Kalmar Ottawa Terminal Tractors at their container terminal on the west coast.
Batteries are giving way to fuel cell technologies as a practical substitute for zero-emission car options. The California Air Resources Board (CARB), which enacted the Advanced Clean Truck standard in 2020, mandates that truck manufacturers switch from using fossil fuels to zero-emission technologies. Manufacturers will have to boost the number of zero-emission trucks they sell to between 30 and 50 percent by 2030 and between 40 and 75 percent by 2035 starting in 2024.
The design, integration, and installation of the fuel cells into the Kalmar Ottawa platform are carried out by the UK-based Ricardo. Fuel cell powered terminal tractors will provide Kalmar clients with more operational uptime and lessen the need for additional expenditures in electrical grid infrastructure than battery-powered alternatives.
