The Zeleros company presented the SELF (Sustainable Electric Freight-forwarder) project at the port of Sagunto for the development of its sustainable container movement system based on the hyperloop initiative, which will have a test track in the Sagunto area in Valencia, Spain.
The president of Valenciaport Aurelio Martinez stated, “this project has two things that are basic to the Port of Valencia, innovation and sustainability. If we are immersed in such an ambitious objective as reaching 2030 with energy balance, we must support all the initiatives that lead to that, and this is one of them.”
The board of directors of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) approved the granting of a plot of land in the port of Sagunto to be able to test this Zeleros prototype on a test track.
Zeleros will build a prototype of its autonomous container transport system SELF in the Port of Sagunto.
The company will be able to advance the development of its hyperloop system with an application aimed at decarbonising and automating container movements between terminals.
Zeleros CEO, David Pistoni explained that the company uses “the linear engine of the Hyperloop system to apply it to the movement of goods within the port context. Thanks to this, we can validate and improve these technologies, as we are going to place a 100-metre pilot in the port of Sagunto that allows us to move these containers within what would be port logistics.”
Pistoni assured that “the construction of this track will begin at the end of this month in order to have it operational at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. It will allow us to carry out two types of tests, one for speed and the other for weight and safety, with a view to its logistical usefulness.”
Additionally, the CEO of Zeleros said, “there is a lot of interest from the port and logistics community at an international level. We are in talks with other regions interested in this type of energy transition technologies that are having a great impact.”
The SELF system aims to accelerate the transition of ports and airports towards sustainability and automation. It consists of vehicles (or bogies) that are driven and moved by the rails where the linear motor is installed.
The engine is 100% electric and can operate in a fully automated manner, like the intralogistics systems found in logistics warehouses, reducing emissions and improving the efficiency of port operations.
Aiming to demonstrate the capability of the technology and its impact on the port application, the pilot project will be installed in the port of Sagunto.
The prototype consists of a 100-meter-long shuttle where the linear motor will be subjected to various missions to validate the functionality of the system.
