The Port of Felixstowe has ordered a third batch of autonomous trucks from Shanghai Westwell Technology, taking its fleet to 100 vehicles.
The latest investment builds on the port’s deployment of autonomous trucks within mixed-traffic container terminal operations at Felixstowe, reportedly the first deployment of its kind in Europe.
Clemence Cheng, executive director of Hutchison Ports and chief executive of the Port of Felixstowe, said: “This further investment marks another important step in the Port of Felixstowe’s journey towards smarter, safer and more sustainable port operations.
“Expanding our autonomous truck fleet to 100 vehicles demonstrates our confidence in the technology and in the benefits it is already bringing to our customers, colleagues and operations.”
The new electric trucks feature upgraded sensor technology, including 128-line LiDAR and advanced camera systems, designed to improve environmental perception and support safe operation alongside conventional terminal traffic.
The order also includes a second automated battery swapping station. The facility enables autonomous trucks to exchange depleted batteries for fully charged units in five to six minutes, helping maximise fleet availability and minimise downtime.
The autonomous fleet operations are supported by the port’s private 5G network, which provides secure, real-time communications between autonomous vehicles, control systems and terminal infrastructure.
Kenny Tan, founder and chairman of Westwell, said: “With 100 autonomous trucks in operation, the Port of Felixstowe is Europe’s leading port for the deployment of autonomous vehicles at scale in live terminal operations.”
The fully-electric autonomous truck fleet forms part of the Port of Felixstowe’s wider decarbonisation strategy.
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