The Port of Helsingborg, in partnership with Terberg and EasyMile, has announced tests for an autonomous terminal tractor.
The project will involve testing an autonomous truck at the port’s cargo facility. Initially, the test will be conducted outside of normal production to ensure that live testing during sharp operation may be completed by autumn.
The purpose is to assess the autonomous system’s maturity and identify technological issues.
Furthermore, the project’s findings will serve as a foundation for equipment selection in the ‘New Port’, which refers to plans for a new Container Port that the Port of Helsingborg intends to build around 2030.
The project’s first phase consists of braking tests, load testing, and mapping the vehicle’s intended itineraries. Phase 1 is slated to begin after the summer break.
At that point, the vehicle’s autonomy will be fully operational, but its path will be restricted to one of the container terminal’s three quays, quay 906 and crane 20. During phase one, only fictive/simulated production will occur.
First, basic routes will be evaluated and approved before being expanded to longer, more difficult ones in order to attain the entire driving distance.
Upon successful completion of the first phase, the next step will begin in the autumn. The vehicle will work alongside the port’s workforce when a cargo vessel arrives.
EasyMile’s safety driver will be in the vehicle’s cabin during the endeavour. The safety driver will communicate truck computer instructions to the vehicle’s AVMS, a system for route and driving behaviour, monitor autonomous movements, and certify turns.
In July 2022, Kalmar, part of Cargotec, signed a contract to supply the Port of Helsingborg with a Kalmar Electric Reachstacker.