Durapower to power 60% of Tuas Port’s automated guided vehicle fleet

LOCAL lithium-ion battery manufacturer Durapower will supply high performance electric vehicle battery systems to over 60 per cent of Tuas port operator PSA Singapore’s (PSA) current automated guided vehicle (AGV) fleet, the company noted in a press statement on Friday (Sep 2).

PSA intends to deploy some 200 electric AGVs by 2023, and Durapower’s battery systems will power approximately two-thirds of this fleet. This excludes new fleets that are being procured as part of the port’s expansion.

“A key component of what will be the world’s first fully automated and digitalised port is the use of AGVs to optimise the operational flow of containers between the wharf and yard,” Durapower said.

Cutting carbon emissions by almost half, the electric AGV fleet is key in helping PSA achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 at the Tuas port, as previously announced by the Ministry of Transport, it added.

Operations like moving containers to their assigned locations in support of busy vessel schedules are currently dependent on fossil-fuel powered, human-driven vehicles; however, switching to automated operations can enhance operations efficiency and sustainability, the company noted.

Durapower is responsible for the design, manufacturing, supply, and commissioning of the battery solutions for the AGV fleet. It is currently working with PSA to extend the life cycle of the batteries through initiatives such as second-life battery technology for energy storage systems.

In response to queries from The Business Times, chief executive officer of Durapower Group Kelvin Lim said that according to reports, the global AGV market is predicted to rise by 12.4 per cent to US$2.3 billion by 2024 thanks to increasing demand from the automation of logistics and warehousing, of which electric AGV fleets will form a significant part of the market value.

“Durapower estimates annual growth of our project value for safe, high performance, lightweight, fast-charging, and durable battery systems for global port operations as port AGV fleet sizes continue to scale up,” he added.

Durapower currently serves 4 major segments: electric mobility (commercial vehicle fleets), specialty vehicles (AGVs), stationary energy storage (integrated with renewable energies) and marine electrification (vessels).

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“Contribution of the specialty vehicle segment to Durapower’s revenue and orderbook spread is set to increase as part of the expansion of global port electrification”, Lim noted.

Durapower has been collaborating with PSA since 2012 on port automation and vehicle electrification where Durapower supplied high powered lithium battery systems for 2 hybrid diesel-electric AGVs as part of PSA’s research and development at Pasir Panjang Terminal.

Since then, the engineering teams from both Durapower and PSA worked closely to optimise and enhance the charging and battery systems based on the lessons drawn from their collective experiences at Pasir Panjang, where electric AGVs have already commenced operations and new fleets have been added on an annual basis since 2016.