Hutchison Ports has signed an agreement with Chinese developer and manufacturer Westwell Technology to supply 100 autonomous battery-powered trucks to be used at its Felixstowe facility in the UK.
The latest-generation Q-Trucks can go 150 km without recharging and have a 75-tonne load capacity. They are equipped with sensors that enable them to operate autonomously in mixed traffic environments without the need for being kept separate from other vehicles.
Hutchinson first tested ‘Q-Trucks’ at Thailand’s Laem Chabang Terminal D in 2020, where they have handled over 334,000 TEUs since being introduced.
Hutchison Executive Director Clemence Cheng said that they were very excited to be working in partnership with Westwell to bring their revolutionary, artificial intelligence-based technology to the Port of Felixstowe.
He confirmed that, as a result of the successful introduction of autonomous trucks at their terminal in Thailand and the extensive and successful testing at Felixstowe, his company was now implementing the system in the UK, specifying that the new trucks would increase the efficiency and operational consistency of their container handling, as well as make a significant contribution to the decarbonization of port operations.
Translation by Giles Foster
