The first hydrogen tractor will unload the ships in the port of Valencia

The hydrogen tractor has a 12kg H2 tank and a 25kWh

There is a piece of innovation Made in Italy that today circulates on four large wheels in the port of Valencia. It is the hydrogen tractor that will be used for the handling of the goods in the Spanish port of call. The idea was realized by an all-Italian team, which saw the collaboration of consortium ATENA, ENEA, University of Naples ‘Parthenope’, and Cantieri del Mediterraneo. All this took place within the framework of the European project “H2Ports” worth 4 million euros.

The vehicle is a prototype port tractor equipped with a hybrid fuel cell and battery engine. Sustainable propulsion allows the vehicle to perform all the activities required during the loading/unloading of cargo from cargo ships. As ENEA explains in a note, “its storage system has a total capacity of about 12 kilograms of hydrogen and can ensure a continuous operation of at least six hours, that is the average duration of a work shift”.

The hybrid powertrain consists of a high-performance lithium-ion battery with an energy capacity of 25 kWh, and a 70 kW fuel cell module. The engine “shows high operational efficiency, also thanks to the recovery of kinetic energy”, explains ENEA. “The vehicle does not produce any polluting emission, since water in the form of steam is the only residue of the system”.

The port of Valencia is the right place where a hydrogen tractor can take its first steps. It is the first port in Europe to use hydrogen in its operations. Pushed from the H2Ports European plan, the port of call has previewed the installation of a mobile hydrogen station that supports the logistics. Besides the means that from yesterday circulates in the valencian port, a second prototype would have arrived. It is a reach stacker, which is a “stacker” of containers, also powered by hydrogen. The tests will last two years, then take stock and eventually expand the decarbonization program.