LONG BEACH. Kalmar USA and TransPower have announced they will enter into a 5-year supply agreement and showcase a joint-effort zero emission, battery-electric version of Kalmar’s Ottawa T2 terminal tractor here at the Advanced Clean Technology (ACT) Expo.
Kalmar, a global manufacturer of terminal tractors and other cargo handling equipment, and TransPower, an advanced clean energy technology company, have been collaborating since 2011 to develop advanced, zero-emission electric terminal tractors. The terminal tractor on display was completed as part of a glider program in which TransPower completed the build by installing their drive system at their Escondido, CA facility.
Under Kalmar’s new supply agreement with TransPower, Kalmar will manufacture electric terminal tractors on its own assembly line in Ottawa, KS, using parts shipped to Kansas by TransPower. The first prototype units are scheduled to be produced in the Ottawa plant in the fourth quarter but no full production dates are available at this time.
According to the company, TransPower has been developing their “ElecTruck” drive system on past models of Kalmar terminal tractors and have accumulated approximately 40,000 miles of commercial use in a variety of demanding applications since 2013. At the California distribution center of retail giant IKEA, a Kalmar Ottawa-TransPower electric tractor has become IKEA’s preferred tractor since 2014, the company added.
