The firm Volvo and the Valencian company Grupo Torres are putting a 100% electric HGV through its paces in a Spanish port area

The companies operating in Valenciaport continue to join in the “2030, Zero Emissions” commitment of the Valencian port

 A new milestone in the decarbonisation of Valenciaport, on this occasion carried out by companies from the port community. The first test in a Spanish port of a 100% electric truck for heavy transport in container loading and unloading operations has been carried out on the quays of the Port of Valencia. Zero emissions, silent and totally electric, it has shown the autonomy and the loading and use capacity of this new milestone in the Port of Valencia. A Volvo FH Electric with 6 batteries of 90 kWh for a total capacity of 540 kWh that the Swedish firm has given to the transport company Grupo Torres to test in port activities. This is yet another example of Valenciaport and the port community continuing to make progress in the process of decarbonisation and reduction of emissions in the Spanish port system.

Specifically, the Volvo Trucks FH Electric, which has 666 horsepower or 490 kilowatts of power, and a gross combined weight of 40 tonnes, has made several journeys to test its autonomy, load capacity and response to the conditions of the activity that takes place in a port area. The electric truck has charged its batteries at the facilities of the Port Authority of Valencia (APV) and has transported a container in the port area to take it to its destination.

The firm Volvo and the Valencian company Grupo Torres have subjected a 100% electric HGV to port requirements in a Spanish port area to carry out the test with real journeys and goods in the Port of Valencia. With a range of 300 kilometres, this electric vehicle, developed to minimise CO2, noise and air pollution, has been a real success, loading a container at the port terminals and taking it to its destination. A test that shows the commitment of the companies of the port community to decarbonisation and the fight against climate change in all the activities that take place in the port areas. The future is ever closer and the commitment of the sector is clear.

Carlos Prades, director of the Torres Group, a company dedicated to container transport at national and international level, emphasised that “it is an innovative project which demonstrates the commitment of the sector and of the Port to reducing emissions. For the transport sector, which is fully involved in decarbonisation, it is a major step forward in terms of sustainability and respect for the environment. The companies that operate within the Port of Valencia are following the line set by the Port Authority (PAV) of a continuous commitment to testing and taking on projects that will enable Valenciaport to be an emission neutral site by 2030”.

The Port Valencia, an example of sustainability

The Port of Valencia has established itself as a reference site in the European port system for setting up and testing projects for the decarbonisation of maritime traffic. In fact, the PAV has set as an essential objective to be a zero emissions port by 2030. To this end, it is working in collaboration with the port community with actions such as the installation of photovoltaic plants, the H2Ports hydrogen project, the use of alternative fuels such as Liquefied Natural Gas, the installation of a pilot device for the generation of electrical energy from waves or the replacement of the fleet of PAV vehicles with hybrids and electric vehicles. These actions are reinforced by clean energy projects, such as the three photovoltaic plants awarded by the PAV or the construction of two electrical substations for ships to connect to the electricity grid in port.

In addition, the port community of Valencia is fully involved in this process with initiatives such as Ecoport, in which the companies operating in the port areas of Valencia, Sagunto and Gandia propose environmental milestones such as the recovery of waste, the reduction of water consumption, the use of alternative energies or the reduction in the use of fuels, among others.