GERMANY's Hamburger Hafen und Logistik (HHLA) has put the first two electrically powered trucks into operation at its in-house freight forwarder Container-Transport-Dienst GmbH (CTD), reports London's Port Technology International.

The trucks are part of HHLA's sustainability strategy, which seeks to accelerate the decarbonization of logistics chains and provide customers with more green transport solutions.

CTD will initially be using the new electric trucks for container transfers in the Port of Hamburg and subjecting them to extensive testing.

As part of these tests, data will be gathered to provide HHLA with important insights for potential purchases of further e-trucks. In particular, this includes data on the efficient use of the trucks in the Port of Hamburg and the execution of charging cycles.

The Volvo FH electric trucks, which were recently named Truck of the Year 2024, are characterized by their high quality and reliability as commercial vehicles in logistics transport, according to HHLA.

They also boast a long-range, enabling them to cover a distance of 260 to 340 kilometres when fully loaded. The trucks are fitted with a 540-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery and a maximum charge capacity of 250 kilowatts (kW). Initially, they will be charged using the public charging infrastructure.

"Environmentally friendly, resource-saving processes and logistics services represent a key pillar of our corporate strategy, which has been firmly established for many years," said HHLA chief executive Angela Titzrath.

"We have set ourselves the ambitious goal of achieving climate-neutral production across the Group by 2040. In this quest, we are committed to using innovative technologies to further reduce carbon emissions, which also benefits our customers," she said.