In June 2023, Hutchison Ports Felixstowe announced it planned to implement a fleet of 100 Westwell Q-Trucks, with the first twelve units arriving at Felixstowe in October 2023. Implementation of the port’s autonomous truck project began in April 2024, and is segmented into four phases. Hutchison Ports has now announced the purchase of a third batch of autonomous trucks from Shanghai Westwell Technology Co. Ltd., completing the planned deployment.
The latest order consolidates Hutchison Ports’ drive towards autonomous vehicles operating at scale in a live mixed-traffic container terminal. The company believes it to be the largest such deployment in Europe. The fully electric Q-Trucks will incorporate enhanced sensing technology and will be supported by a second automated battery swapping station, as the Port of Felixstowe continues its wider decarbonisation and automation programme.
Long-term deployment plan
The latest investment follows the phased implementation programme reported earlier by WorldCargo News. In 2023, Hutchison Ports originally committed to acquiring 100 battery-electric autonomous terminal tractors following a competitive evaluation process and successful trials at Felixstowe and within the group’s operations at Laem Chabang in Thailand. Implementation in England began in April 2024. Autonomous and conventional terminal tractors currently operate together under controlled safety procedures and predefined operating routes.
“This further investment marks another important step in the Port of Felixstowe’s journey towards smarter, safer and more sustainable port operations,” said Clemence Cheng, Executive Director of Hutchison Ports and Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Felixstowe. “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. Felixstowe has led the way in deploying autonomous trucks safely at scale in a live port environment, and this latest order reinforces our commitment to innovation, operational resilience and our target of achieving Net-Zero for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2035.”
Enhanced sensors and batteries
The third production batch incorporates upgraded perception systems intended to improve operation within Felixstowe’s busy mixed-traffic environment. Each vehicle will be equipped with 128-line LiDAR together with enhanced camera systems designed to provide more detailed environmental awareness and support safe, reliable autonomous operation. Felixstowe’s existing installation enables autonomous trucks to exchange depleted battery packs for fully charged units in around five to six minutes, allowing vehicles to return quickly to service while maintaining high fleet utilisation throughout the operating day.
Supporting the autonomous fleet is the port’s private 5G communications network, reportedly one of the UK’s largest industrial private 5G deployments. The network provides continuous communications between the autonomous trucks, fleet management systems and terminal infrastructure, enabling real-time operational control alongside conventional manually operated equipment. The Q-Trucks also employ Westwell’s proprietary PowerOnAir swappable battery technology.
Earlier operational milestones
The autonomous Q-Trucks operate within the port’s existing 20mph speed limit and include collision avoidance systems together with prominent LED displays indicating their intended direction of travel to surrounding drivers. “We are proud to support Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe as it continues to deploy autonomous truck technology at scale,” said Kenny Tan, Founder and Chairman of Westwell. This latest order marks another important milestone in our partnership and reflects the confidence Felixstowe has placed in Westwell’s technology, products and operational support.
The autonomous trucks are fully electric, and Hutchison Ports noted that the Port of Felixstowe has sourced electricity certified from renewable sources since April 2023. “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. We look forward to continuing our work together to support safer, smarter and more sustainable port operations,” concluded Tan.