Evaluating the operational and financial feasibility of battery-electric AGVs at brownfield container terminals

Abstract

Diesel-powered Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) are currently deployed for container transport at terminal’s water side. Looking at the trends in formal legislation and market developments towards sustainability, these diesel AGVs are most likely to become outdated. Although battery-electric AGVs are an emerging, zero-emission alternative, there are serious technical, operational and financial questions regarding their implementation at brownfield terminals operating 24/7. Taking the northern side of the ECT Delta Terminal in the port of Rotterdam as a case, the operational and financial feasibility of replacing diesel AGVs by a battery-electric AGV fleet have been evaluated by means of a functional design of the AGV charging process, simulation study and total costs of ownership analysis. The results indicate that battery-electric AGVs opportunity plug-in charged at the automated stacking cranes’ transfer points prove to be an operationally and financially feasible alternative to diesel AGVs: operationally under the condition that a sufficient amount of AGVs, charging power and plug-in chargers are installed and financially under the condition that the increasing trend in diesel price and decreasing trend in electricity price will continue in the near future. As environmental legislation for heavy-duty vehicles becomes more stringent while there is a decreasing trend in electricity prices, battery-electric AGVs are most likely to become profitable for deployment at brownfield container terminals. Therefore, this study’s findings could pave the way for terminal operators to replace their environmentally unfriendly diesel AGVs by zero-emission vehicles, potentially becoming the key force increasing the global penetration rate of electric vehicles in heavy-duty industry.