Kiwi-built EV container mover

CONTAINERLINK’S AUCKLAND OPERATION IS TWO

months along the road to building experience with the first of its Kiwi-built Kahu EV electric trucks.

The Kahu EK16, built in Ashurst by Kahu EV went on the road in midApril and has been carting empty containers port-to-depot and depot-todepot around Auckland, based from the company’s Oak Rd premises in Wiri.

ContainerLink has three more Kahu trucks on order with the next in line scheduled to start work towards the end of August.

Brent Batters, General Manager Transport for ContainerLink, says the Kahu trucks have been in the planning stage since 2021 and are joining a smaller Isuzu-based SEA Electric unit the company already operates.

ContainerLink is a division of Container Co NZ Ltd. Brent says company owner Ken Harris and daughter Margaret Harris are keen to be early adopters of electric truck technology.

The Kahu EK16 at work for ContainerLink is a 4x2 with a 7410kg tare weight and 12-tonne GVM towing a Fruehauf skelly dual-axle semi. It can move three 20-foot containers or alternatively one 20-foot and one 40-foot container. Kahu is also developing a 6x2 version of the EK16.

The first truck is typically working between the Port of Auckland, Panmure and Wiri.

“Almost all of our work is moving empty containers locally around Auckland and an EV is ideal for that application,” says Brent.

The company has also installed a fast charger at Oak Rd which is recharging the truck from 20-80% in about 38 minutes.

“Wayne, who is driving the truck, typically gets two or three loads done and then takes his 30-minute break while the truck is recharging,” says Brent.

“Then he’ll probably get a couple more loads done. That’s as good as it gets in Auckland.

“One day we ran without topping up and from 100% charge at the start to 20% we travelled 170km.

“Wayne has been an important part of the project. He’s really enthusiastic and knowledgeable about new technology and he was the obvious choice.

“He’s been sending his feedback to Kahu EV and we’ll probably involve him in the roll-out for the new units in Tauranga and Napier.”

Brent says the decision on where the fourth unit will be deployed will be made after ContainerLink reviews workloads in Auckland and Tauranga.

Mark Crouch, Kahu EVs General Manager Commercial, says the ContainerLink EK16s are built specifically to suit the inner-city container role.

“The important thing is the truck is not a conversion of a diesel truck. We sourced a new cab/chassis from Dong Feng in China and added all of our operating systems and battery management,” Mark says.

“From the bare cab/chassis we added the major drive line components, motor and batteries, as well as doing new suspension, adding the fifth wheel, and so on. Our proprietary electric vehicle management and control system keeps everything working.

“The second truck is almost finished and ContainerLink will have all four by the end of the year.”

Manawatu-based Kahu EV was formerly known as Zero Emissions Vehicles and has developed a number of specialised EVs including a battery electric rubbish compactor truck and a Toyota LandCruiser 4x4 with battery electric powertrain that has BHP certification for underground mine sites.

Kahu’s major project at present is development of an electric farm feeder wagon in a partnership with German manufacturer Strautmann. T

A FLEET

Of 18 New Trucks Running On Biofuel

IS reducing carbon emissions from DHLs support of Formula 1 races in Europe this year.

The sustainably fuelled trucks, capable of running on HVO100 drop-in fuel (hydrotreated vegetable oil), will be delivering at all European F1 races in 2023. By doing so, each truck can reduce carbon emissions by 60% when compared to standard fuels.

“As an industry leader in green logistics, the 18 trucks further contribute to a lower emission DHL fleet, where we show to our fans and customers that it is possible to bring the excitement of F1 races around the world in a sustainable way,” says Arjan Sissing, Head of Global Brand Marketing at Deutsche Post DHL Group.

The new trucks reduce carbon emissions while maintaining the same level of performance in terms of load capacity and travel distance as their diesel counterparts. Also, the handling of biofuel is safer than bunkering diesel from an environmental and security perspective.

Each truck can transport up to 40 tonnes and travel up to 3,500km per 1,000-litre tank.

“For the European F1 leg the trucks run entirely on HVO100, which is a second-generation biofuel, meeting the standard EN15940 for paraffin fuels, as well as a drop-in fuel,” says Paul Fowler, Head of DHL Motorsports Logistics.

Creating a more environmentally sustainable future has been a key part of the partnership between DHL and F1. This includes testing more advanced technologies for the future, leveraging multimodal transport solutions, including overland and ocean freight, and using more Boeing 777 aircraft, which reduce carbon emissions by 18% compared to a traditional 747 freight aircraft.

DHL also equips its trucks with GPS to monitor fuel consumption and optimise routes. This season, the DHL motorsport team will cover around 150,000km, transporting up to 1,400 tonnes of freight per race. In addition to the race cars, tyres, spare parts, and fuel, broadcasting and hospitality equipment are also transported to the desired destination. DHL also provides comprehensive track and trace of the cargo while in transit, as well as custom brokerage, pickup, and customs clearance services.

“We operate on a global scale and DHL plays a critical role in delivering the races and helping us address the logistical impact we have as a World Championship,” says Ellen Jones, Head of ESG at Formula 1.

“Together we are continually looking for more sustainable solutions, and through innovations such as the biofueled trucks we’re able to take significant steps forward in reducing our carbon emissions and achieving our sustainability goal of being Net Zero by 2030.”

As part of Deutsche Post DHL Group’s Sustainability Roadmap to accelerate sustainable business by 2030, the company is investing €7 billion in clean logistics operations to reduce emissions. The funds will focus on sustainable aviation fuels, road fleet electrification, and climate-neutral building design. The introduction of sustainable fuels on long haul road transport is also included in this investment plan. T&D