Port equipment

10/28/2020

After two years of joint development, Terberg started this month (October ’20) with extensive testing of its first concept hydrogen-powered terminal tractor. The tractor, developed in collaboration with zepp.solutions, is now in operation at United Waalhaven Terminals in Rotterdam.

The hydrogen terminal tractor is based on the recently introduced fully electric YT203-EV. The YT203-H2 is the result of the joint development between Terberg and zepp.solutions, a tech scale-up that specializes in hydrogen fuel cell systems for various applications. The difference with the EV model is that that the energy is stored in the form of hydrogen, enabling quick refuelling. The YT203-H2 is equipped with four 150 liter (350 bar) hydrogen fuel tanks (600 liter total) containing 14,4 kg hydrogen. This is suitable for a full day operation in heavy-duty applications.

https://www.terbergspecialvehicles.com

October 28, 2020

A collaboration between Dutch fuel cell system developer zepp.solutions and special vehicle tractor manufacturer Terberg Benschop resulted in the first concept tractor of the hydrogen-powered YT203-H2. Testing of the fuel cell terminal tractor started this month in the port of Rotterdam, where the vehicle is deployed in daily operations to collect a wide range of data.

The hydrogen-powered proof of concept is based on the fully electric YT203-EV, which recently entered series production.

The vehicle is the result of a joint development process between Terberg and zepp.solutions. While Terberg is responsible for the vehicle, zepp.solutions provided a custom hydrogen fuel cell system and storage, to fit the available space while maximizing hydrogen capacity and fuel cell performance.

The YT203-H2 is currently deployed in the United Waalhaven Terminals in Rotterdam, where it operates alongside conventional diesel tractors. The vehicle is equipped with four 350 bar hydrogen fuel tanks containing a total of 14.4 kg of hydrogen, enough for a full day of operations in the tough working conditions the harbor offers.

The hydrogen tractor is designed to provide the same or more tractive power than diesel-powered terminal tractors, but with zero emissions and without the noise of combustion engines. The proof of concept marks a big step from design studies to real-life validation. The project is being supported by the DKTI-Transport subsidy scheme of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.

With diesel still offering the most attractive performance/cost-ratio, most terminal tractors are currently diesel-powered. Because of this, the diesel-like workflow hydrogen fuel cell vehicles offer is an important benefit. This way, hydrogen-powered tractors can be seamlessly integrated into an existing fleet.

https://zepp.solutions