Straddle Carrier

Towards a more eco-efficient future with hybrid straddles

Fifty years from its introduction, the Kalmar straddle carrier is now a textbook example of what can be achieved with hybrid drivelines. Over 300 hybrid versions have been ordered and delivered to date, including 43 to DP World Antwerp Gateway, and they are hard at work helping customers around the world to cut fuel costs, CO2 emissions and noise.

The Kalmar straddle carrier has benefited from plenty of significant technological advances over its long and distinguished 50-year history. There are now over 5,500 machines working in terminals across the globe, and in the future an increasingly large number of these will be hybrids – powered by the latest in lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology.

“While hybrid machinery is commonplace in our everyday lives now, back in 2008 when Kalmar began formulating its vision of a hybrid straddle carrier, this was cutting-edge stuff,” says Jorge Medranda, Sales Manager at Kalmar.

The Li-ion's roar

In the modern Kalmar hybrid straddle and shuttle carriers the Li-ion batteries are combined with a compact diesel power unit, which is not only highly fuel-efficient, but also quieter and easier to maintain than the unit in a machine powered by diesel alone. They also feature a maintenance-free regenerative energy system that converts energy from deceleration and spreader lowering into electrical power, which is then stored in the battery system.

Eleven years ago, the Kalmar team was essentially starting from scratch. “Learning by doing has been the key to enabling us to get to where we are today, by selecting components and designing systems that we can rely on and that deliver what we need,” Medranda points out.

Today Kalmar offers an eco-efficient solution that uses up to 40% less fuel and cuts CO2 emissions by as much as 50 tons per year compared to diesel-powered machines. “It’s not just about fuel and CO2 either,” Medranda highlights. “Our hybrid machines are easier to maintain and use a lot less hydraulic oil: just 120 litres compared to 1,500 litres in a diesel-powered Kalmar straddle carrier. They also generate a lot less noise thanks to the smaller start-stop type diesel engine. Furthermore, our hybrid shuttles and straddles are automation-ready.”

DP World Antwerp Gateway goes hybrid

Kalmar and DP World, one of the world's leading operators of marine and inland terminals, have developed a highly successful partnership over many years of working together, and DP World’s Antwerp Gateway terminal is a shining example of what’s possible with hybrid straddle carrier technology. The terminal took delivery of 19 Kalmar hybrid straddle carriers in October and November 2019, bringing the total number of hybrid units operating at Antwerp Gateway to 43.

“The environmentally friendly Kalmar machines will replace the old diesels in the long term. The hybrids further reduce CO2 emissions per container movement. Antwerp Gateway currently uses 7.5 kg CO2 per container unit (TEU). Our objective is to reduce CO2 emissions by 2% each year. Despite the extra cost, DP World consciously chooses this technology as a sustainable investment in the future. The partnership with Kalmar helps us to reduce our carbon footprint," says Suzanne Kwanten, HSSE Director at DP World Antwerp.

“We have come a long way since those highly educational early years, and our decision to focus on hybrid back in 2008 has been validated. The fact that there are now over 300 hybrid straddle carriers working at all kinds of terminals around the world is something we at Kalmar are really proud of,” Medranda concludes.

Kalmar has an agreement to supply Barbados Port Inc with four fully electric forklifts and two hybrid straddle carriers in Q4 2020.