Dom Magli, Staff Reporter at Port Technology International (PTI), interviewed Crijn Bouman, CEO and Co-Founder of Rocsys. The discussion focused on decarbonisation, electrification, and Rocsys’ newest technical breakthroughs. Bouman emphasized the significance of electric cars at ports and terminals, as well as his predictions for how the industry would evolve in the future.
The ROC-1 is said to be the world’s first hands-free charging solution. Why might corporations benefit from incorporating them into their ports and terminals?
CB: The main benefit is its hands-free charging scenario. Those involved in port operations no longer have to think about charging electric vehicles, making it very efficient for deploying Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Automatic Vehicles (AVs). Driver shortage is an issue at many terminals and the development of autonomous terminal tractors seems to be an important piece to solve that challenge.
Additionally, it’s very viable for manual-driven operations due to its reliability. You will always know that when the vehicle is parked, it’s connected, and therefore will always be charging. A big challenge for many terminals in going electric is that most of them operate for 16 or 24 hours, and the vehicles consume a lot of energy.
The other benefit ROC-1 brings is safety. Having drivers walking around ports is often a challenge with respect to safety. Some of our customers choose to work with us for this very reason: they do not want their drivers to walk around the vehicle and plug in on the other side, as it poses a major safety risk.
There are multiple reasons companies would think to implement ROC-1, but the main points are that its hands-free configuration makes charging completely effortless, and adds to the reliability of the operation.
How do you think electric vehicles would assist in the reduction of carbon emissions?
CB: It is probably best to focus on cutting emissions in the short term because ships will not transition to zero-emission quickly. However, I would say the majority of equipment on the shore can be electrified to support zero emissions, and vehicles are of course a very large component of port operations. From terminal trucks to AGVs to Straddle Carriers, to some RTG cranes, they can all be electrified, which could potentially create a zero-emission operation at least on the shoreside.
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What are the most intriguing projects Roscys have worked on lately?
CB: We are working on quite a few projects. One of them is with Hyster, a supplier of port equipment. We are working with them on an electric terminal truck that features a hands-free charging connection. This means that whenever you park the vehicle, it automatically connects. We are working with them towards several projects in US ports. Another collaboration I can mention is with Taylor, where we are developing an electric solution for large forklifts that stack containers. This is particularly important in American ports where they do not want the drivers to walk around these massive machines.
These are two very exciting projects we are working on in ports, but we’ve also recently joined the Zero Emission Port Alliance (ZEPA). Through ZEPA we are now working with big players such as the Port of Rotterdam, APM Terminals, and DP World to speed up the decarbonisation of horizontal terminal transportation. ZEPA is about creating a standard for the port industry on zero-emission equipment such that it can scale really fast in all ports. That’s the goal of the alliance, and it is very exciting.
How do you see electrification progressing in the maritime industry?
CB: I think that every port in the Western world is currently working on decarbonisation. In North America, for example, there is a massive development towards electrification, especially fuelled by the EPA Clean Ports programme. As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, President Biden’s administration has allocated $3 billion for electrification at ports.
These funds are 80 to 90 per cent given electrification. All US ports are now developing massive electric vehicle programmes. In Europe, several ports are also working on big projects regarding electrification, the Port of Felixstowe being one example.
In the Western world, every port we’ve spoken to is in the process of electrifying its operations. Since many are located close to cities, there is always a consistent discussion with the local government and we see more and more regulation to enforce emission reduction. There is a big drive from a policy standpoint, and the technology is now ready to electrify vehicles.
When do you suppose electric vehicles will become the norm?
CB: We are not too far away, I would say. There will still be operations where EVs won’t work, but possibly in the next three to four years every port that is now working on an electric programme will implement them.
I believe it will become the norm within the next five years. Certainly, existing vehicles will not be replaced until the end of their economic lifetime, but for newly purchased vehicles, I think electric vehicles will become the standard within five years.
I also think that a major driving force behind this shift are companies, such as Ikea, that will demand zero emissions or certain carbon targets from their supply chain partners, and that extends through the whole chain, including all terminal operators. These companies can gain a more competitive edge by lowering the carbon footprint of their operations.
READ: Hyster implements new solution for electric vehicles
What are Rocsys’ goals for the rest of 2024?
CB: We have quite a few customer implementations planned for the next six months. Unfortunately, I can’t discuss the details, but internally we are very focused on deploying our solutions in various ports. Additionally, we are also working with more terminal tractor manufacturers such as Terberg, Autocar and Hyster.
Our main focus is to create an integrated solution which works effortlessly for us and for the terminal tractor manufacturers. We are dedicated to ensuring that our technology platforms work flawlessly together and that we can offer this to all the terminal operators.
Crijn Bouman has been in the Electric Vehicle (EV) business for 19 years, long before EVs even became widespread. He founded Epyon in 2005, where he initially developed fast charging systems for industrial vehicles like forklifts, later expanding to electric cars. After Epyon was acquired by ABB, he spent several years in their EV charging group. Bouman now works for Rocsys on automating charging connections.
