Kalmar, a company under the Cargotec umbrella, is partnering with Toyota Tsusho America and Ricardo to create terminal tractors powered by fuel cells. The project will involve a customer in the US testing out two Kalmar Ottawa Terminal Tractors that run on fuel cells at their container terminal on the west coast.
This initiative aligns with the Advanced Clean Truck rule implemented by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in 2020, which aims to phase out fossil fuel usage in trucks and transition to zero-emission technologies. The rule stipulates that truck manufacturers must increase their sales of zero-emission trucks to between 30% and 50% by 2030, and between 40% and 75% by 2035.
Ricardo, a UK-based company, is in charge of integrating and assembling fuel cells into Kalmar Ottawa Terminal Tractors. These fuel cell-powered tractors will provide extended uptime for Kalmar customers and decrease the necessity for investments in electrical grid infrastructure. In comparison to terminal tractors powered by batteries, the use of fuel cells is expected to be more efficient and reliable.
“We are applying the learnings we have gained from our battery-electric platform to implement a modular fuel cell platform that will help customers meet increasingly strict emissions targets. This is in line with our terminal tractor roadmap and supports Cargotec’s 1.5°C climate ambition. As part of this effort, we are partnering with leaders in the fuel cell space to demonstrate the feasibility of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies for terminal tractor applications.” said Chris Dvorak, Director of Engineering, Kalmar
