ZEPA releases key findings on demand, design and infrastructure strategies

The Zero Emission Port Alliance (ZEPA) marks its one-year anniversary with the release of three pivotal reports. The reports contain findings from the broad alliance of port operators, port authorities and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). They provide insights into rising demand for battery-electric container handling equipment, new voluntary design standards and strategies to enhance port power infrastructure.

ZEPA was founded in 2023 with the commitment to accelerating the adoption of Battery-Electric Container Handling Equipment (BE-CHE) to speed up port decarbonisation and make BE-CHE affordable and accessible within this decade. The Alliance — now with 12 members — is marking its one-year anniversary with the release of three industry reports which zoom in on specific aspects of decarbonising ports and port infrastructure. One critical aspect is the demand for BE-CHE and how to make it available and accessible for a broad range of operators.

I'm truly proud of what we've achieved as a collective in such a short time. The commitment from ZEPA members to dive deep into the topic and, through consensus, produce detailed guidelines on expected demand, standardization, and grid readiness is a clear sign of how real and powerful the electrification trend is. 

Rapidly accelerating demand by 2035

The Alliance finds that demand for BE-CHE is expected to accelerate rapidly in the coming years. This analysis provides the industry’s first-ever insights into the significantly increasing demand for BE-CHE.

By 2035, nearly all new container handling equipment purchases by ZEPA terminal operators — which represent 15% of the total market — will be battery-electric, implying that diesel-fuelled options are set to become virtually obsolete. Purchasing expectations of ZEPA’s terminal operator members indicate that the share of most battery-electric machines in purchases of container-handling equipment will grow to more than 94% between 2031 and 2035 — up from 76% between 2025 and 2030. For OEMs, this shift underscores the urgency to align product portfolios with the battery-electric revolution.

If the current cost gap between electric and diesel equipment closes by 2035, the expected sales of electric container handling equipment will be even higher and growth will be accelerated. This trajectory is underpinned by terminal operators' own decarbonisation targets and their commitments to the market, as well as regulatory pressures and policy initiatives that will drive decarbonisation.

Voluntary adoption through standardisation

The current lack of standardisation in the BE-CHE market has been a key barrier to widespread adoption — leading to inefficiencies, higher costs and limited interoperability.  Standardisation will — by definition — reduce variations between comparable products and focus BE-CHE development on concrete objectives. This will unlock economies of scale and increase the interoperability of container handling vehicles and charging equipment.

ZEPA’s second report proposes a set of 11 voluntary standards for battery-electric terminal tractors and straddle carriers. These ZEPA 2024 Voluntary Standards have been co-developed by container handling equipment manufacturers and users from across the port industry. They are open standards: free for any terminal operator or equipment manufacturers to use in procurement discussions. They will also help terminal operators choose the most cost-effective charging strategy.

The ZEPA 2024 Voluntary standards prioritize and focus on terminal tractors and straddle carriers. Terminal tractors are the highest volume vehicles and produce the largest share of emissions, so their electrification will have the largest impact on decarbonisation. Straddle carriers, on the other hand, have the biggest TCO (total cost of ownership) difference with diesel equipment and are the most challenging to electrify.

Grid and infrastructure upgrades essential for decarbonisation

The rapid adoption of BE-CHE is an early driver of the surge in power demand within ports that is now gathering strength. In fact, the total electric load of an average terminal operator by 2030 could be a multiple of what it is today, and ensuring the grid capacity to accommodate this increase can require significant lead time. ZEPA’s third report — on the subject of strengthening port power infrastructure and load management — highlights a critical reality: without sufficient grid power, terminal operations could face significant bottlenecks. This could, in turn, potentially hinder the industry's ability to meet decarbonisation goals and maintain operational efficiency.

The report emphasizes that increasing grid capacity and upgrading infrastructure are no-regret moves for terminal operators and port authorities, especially given the expected rise in electricity demand in the coming decade. Additionally, it recommends that port authorities, port tenants and grid operators alike should closely collaborate, as each has a role to play. Together they can explore strategies to avoid demand peaks and enable flexible load management.

These measures will maximize the utilisation of existing grid capacity and ensure efficient port decarbonisation. The report also includes a Port Electrification Toolkit that supports stakeholders in the port community in their electrification journey.

Unprecedented alignment: a bold step toward zero-emission ports

Despite some being competitors, ZEPA members have successfully collaborated over the past year across multiple workstreams. APM Terminals, CATL, DP World, InductEV, Kempower, Patrick Terminals, Port of Aarhus, Port of Rotterdam, Rocsys, Sany, SSA Marine and ZPMC have come together to co-create open solutions for the benefit of the entire sector. The alliance is also pleased with the endorsement of these reports by Eurogate, further uniting industry leaders in the pursuit of zero-emission port operations.

The work has been supported by Systemiq as its secretariat, providing analytical and organisational expertise throughout the development of the industry reports.

At APM Terminals, we are on track to roll out electrified terminal equipment across our global portfolio, and the results so far are highly encouraging. In addition to reducing noise and air pollution, these machines provide smoother rides and more precise handling, leading to a better working environment.