The first serially-produced container transporter powered by Li-ion batteries was delivered to HHLA (Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG) Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA). The lithium-ion automated guided vehicle (AGV), weighing 26.5 tonnes, was brought by heavy transport on 1 August. Diesel-powered AGV at CTA will be replaced step-by-step.

A pilot project to test a lithium-ion AGV prototype coupled with an automatic electric charging station has been under way at CTA since autumn 2016. HHLA ordered 25 Konecranes Gottwald Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) with lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery drives for for CTA in the first quarter of 2017. From 1 August 2018, the serially-produced lithium-ion AGVs are being delivered to Hamburg weekly from the Konecranes yard in Düsseldorf.

Konecranes Gottwald automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are unmanned, software-controlled container transporters which provide an efficient link between the harbor quay and the stackyard in large container terminals.

They are initially replacing the first generation of diesel-powered vehicles at CTA, followed by the second-generation of diesel-electric AGVs and finally phasing out the lead-acid battery-powered vehicles. The entire switchover of almost 100 AGVs should be completed by the end of 2022.

As opposed to the lead-acid batteries powering AGVs used up to now at CTA, lithium-ion technology stands out due to, among other factors, its fast-charging capabilities. They can be fully charged in around an hour and a half, weigh only a third of a standard lead-acid battery and need no maintenance.

By using green energy, the battery-powered AGVs at CTA transport containers between ships and the yard without emitting CO₂, NO_x or particulate matter. This makes them an important part of the sustainability activities of HHLA.

Through the usage of the new AGV generation, HHLA will reduce its yearly emissions of CO₂ and nitric oxide by approximately 15,550 tonnes and 118 tonnes, respectively. However, emissions at CTA will decrease substantially in the coming weeks as the first machines to be put out of service will be the diesel AGVs.