APM Terminals Gothenburg has joined Gothenburg RoRo Terminal and Stena Line in prioritising the flow of heavy-duty electric trucks.
As of 1 March, such vehicles are being granted priority passage and handling by the container terminal at the Port of Gothenburg to award haulage companies that have already invested in electrification as well as to encourage those considering it.
Specifically, the new solution means that e-trucks are fast-tracked through APM Terminals' gate 4 via a reserved lane, also enjoying prioritised handling within the terminal area. "This creates efficiency gains and planning ability that is particularly important for electric trucks, as there are strict demands on optimisation given the limited range of electric vehicles," explained the Port of Gothenburg in a press release.
Brian Bitsch, Commercial Manager at APM Terminals Gothenburg, added, "We are seeing more and more haulage firms starting to electrify parts of their vehicle fleets, and we know that more are considering investing in a green transition of heavy goods traffic. We hope that supporting these initiatives by offering the fastest possible passage and handling will serve as an incentive and be one small step along the way."
He furthered, "Our own container handling operation has been fossil-free for several years, and this solution is fully in line with APM Terminals' work on sustainability, in which collaboration with our customers is an important key."
"Electric trucks are a major investment, so the fact that we now have priority in the container terminal is really important to us. It means that we can perform more assignments every day, which benefits both us and our customers. It also means that we can recoup the investment more quickly," Johan Söderström, Chief Commercial Officer at Skaraslättens Transport, underlined (his company has recently deployed three electric trucks in traffic with APM Terminals Gothenburg and decided to invest in two more following the favourable treatment of e-trucks; these will join the company's fleet this May).
The facilities of APM Terminals Gothenburg, Gothenburg RoRo Terminal and Stena Line account for about 90% of the Swedish seaport's truck traffic. "It is a really important initiative by the terminal operators, which literally paves the way for the transition. With a priority system in place for the terminals that handle the most trucks, and the growing infrastructure for charging in the area around the port, the conditions for electric trucks are better here than at any other port. This is a development we're incredibly proud of, but there's still work to be done," said Martin Adeteg, the port's Vice President Decarbonisation, Health and Safety.
Photo: Port of Gothenburg