Hutchison Ports Pakistan is pouring a planned $76 million into a new decarbonization plan that promises to deploy more than 70 new electric terminal tractors at its Karachi container terminal as part of a bigger plan to clean up the Pakistani port operations.
One of the world’s largest port operators, Hutchison Port Holdings Limited first deployed a handful of electric terminal tractors last year, and – like just about everyone else who’s put battery-powered yard hostlers to work – they couldn’t be happier with the trucks’ performance across the more than 450,000 km (~280,000 miles) covered in the last year, alone. That performance is driving the company to invest an additional $76M in additional port electrification efforts.
In a press release-style Instagram post titled, “Karachi Port Charts a Course for a Smarter, Future-ready Port Ecosystem,” the company laid out plans to deploy an additional 20 e-trucks (shorthand for the Westwell E-Truck S1 terminal tractor, shown) this October, with fully 50 more E-Trucks arriving on-site before the end of 2027.
The $76 million investment also calls for new electric material handlers, two electric remote-controlled quay cranes, 17 electric, remote-controlled rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs), and 40 e-trailers (heavy-duty trailers with integrated e-axles and batteries).
The truck, itself
Westwell E-Truck, via Hutchinson Ports Pakistan.
Despite a Western-style name, the Westwell E-Truck is built in China, around an immensely powerful electric motor producing 3,800 Nm (~2800 lb-ft) at 0 rpm – more than enough to casually haul up to 75 tons of mass (165,000 lb. GCWR) across the relatively short distances involved in container port operations.
Range is about 150 km fully loaded (again, 165,000 lbs.), thanks to a 282 kWh LFP battery that can be DC fast-charged from 10-80% in about 40 minutes, or swapped out with a charged, waiting battery in about five minutes – less time than it takes to fill up a similarly capable diesel truck, and for less money, with less spent on maintenance. (!)
You can check out the original Instagram post, below, then let us know what you think of Pakistan’s electric ambitions in the comments.
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