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Kalmar Industries has introduced the world's first straddle carrier equipped with a hybrid drive system. The company's Pro Future hybrid technology package is a modular option that can be fitted to the seventh generation Kalmar ESC W straddle carrier for genuine fuel savings of up to 25 to 30 per cent.
Kalmar's EDRIVE straddle carriers are currently used throughout the world's container terminals. The new hybrid ESC W straddle carrier will significantly improve the machine's cost per box efficiency by delivering more moves with less fuel. Units equipped with the hybrid package will carry Kalmar's Pro Future green and white logo.
Ilkka Annala, vice president of straddle carrier product line, says: “The cyclical operation of straddle carriers in container terminals is the foundation upon why hybrid technology lends such good results in a straddle carrier handling system. This type of operation is very transient and has suitable positive and negative energy peaks that can be utilised to save fuel.
“Genuine reductions in energy use also mean genuine environmental protection, as the emissions of harmful greenhouse gases, such as CO2, are reduced considerably. On an annual level, more than 50 tonnes of CO2 emissions per straddle carrier can be eliminated while employing hybrid technology.”
Kalmar's Pro Future hybrid technology package allows hoist motors to be used as generators when lowering containers. The energy produced can be stored until it is needed. Similarly, when machines are braking or decelerating, energy can be produced from the electric drive system and stored.
The machine's super-capacitor energy storage system draws on the saved energy before making further demands on the diesel engine for movement or lifting, thereby drastically reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
An in-cab display shows the machine's energy flow, thus the driving style can be further fine-tuned to make the most efficient use of the straddle carrier.
The Pro Future hybrid technology package also includes a variable speed generator (VSG) with temperature-controlled fan technology. The VSG system optimises engine use by determining whether high or low engine power is needed, further reducing both energy consumption and pollution.
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