Electric terminal tractors are yard-bounded industrial fleet assets used to move trailers and containers within ports, intermodal terminals, and logistics distribution centers.
They are among the best electrification candidates because they run continuous stop-start duty cycles, operate in constrained geofenced areas, and charge from centralized depot infrastructure.
At fleet scale, they become an energy-architecture problem: peak demand, power quality, and uptime drive the business case for BESS buffering and microgrids (FED/EAY).
What This Asset Class Does
| Attribute |
Typical Reality |
Why It Matters |
| Operating domain |
Geofenced yard (private roads, terminals, depots) |
Enables predictable duty cycles and earlier autonomy deployments. |
| Work profile |
Continuous stop-start, high torque, low speed |
High energy throughput per vehicle per day; strong regen opportunity. |
| Fleet deployment |
Tens to hundreds of units per site |
Aggregate load becomes MW-scale; drives infrastructure decisions. |
| Charging |
Depot charging plus opportunity charging windows |
Shifts planning from range to uptime per shift. |
Electric terminal truck list
| OEM
| Model
| Control Mode
| Cost Band
|
| Autocar |
E-ACTT |
Manual |
USD $180-300K |
| Battle Motors |
LNT |
Manual |
USD $180-300K |
| BYD |
8Y | Q1 |
Autonomy-ready |
USD $180-300K |
| Capacity Trucks |
EV Terminal Truck |
Manual |
USD $180-300K |
| Caterbe |
4600 Series |
Manual |
USD $180-300K |
| EasyMile |
EZTug |
Autonomous |
USD $350-700K |
| FERNRIDE |
Autonomous Terminal Tractor |
Autonomous |
USD $350-700K |
| GAUSSIN |
ATM 38T FULL ELEC |
Autonomy-ready |
USD $350-700K |
| Kalmar Ottawa |
T2EV |
Autonomy-ready |
USD $180-300K |
| MAFI |
T230E |
Autonomy-ready |
USD $180-300K |
| MOL CY |
Electric Tractor |
Manual |
USD $180-300K |
| Orange EV |
eTRIEVER | HUSK-e |
Autonomy-ready |
USD $180-300K |
| Outrider |
Outrider System |
Autonomous |
USD $350-700K |
| SANY |
Battery RTG Series |
Manual |
USD 2.2M-4.0M |
| Terberg |
BC203EV | YT203EV |
Autonomy-ready |
USD $180-300K |
| TICO |
Pro-Spotter EV |
Manual |
USD $180-300K |
| Westwell |
Q-Tractor/Truck |
Autonomous |
USD $350-700K |
| ZM Trucks |
T75 |
Autonomy-ready |
USD $180-300K |
Electrification - Why Now?
| Driver |
What Changes vs Diesel |
Outcome |
| Energy cost and predictability |
Fuel becomes electricity; duty cycle is schedulable |
Better cost control and easier optimization. |
| Maintenance simplification |
Fewer moving parts in traction system |
Higher availability with centralized service. |
| Noise and local air quality |
Less local combustion near workers and docks |
Improves operator environment and compliance posture. |
| Autonomy pathway |
Controlled environments with repeatable routes |
Earlier ROI for remote/supervised and autonomous operation. |
Energy & Charging Envelope
Exact values vary by platform, duty cycle, and site charging strategy.
| Parameter |
Typical Band |
Notes |
| System voltage class |
600–800 VDC (common modern industrial EV class) |
Class-level signal; exact numbers vary by platform. |
| Battery capacity class |
~80–150 kWh |
Optimized for shift uptime and fast opportunity charging. |
| Peak traction power class |
~150–300 kW |
High torque launches; regen capture common. |
| Charging strategy |
Depot plus opportunity windows |
Planning metric is uptime per shift, not highway range. |
| Grid impact at fleet scale |
MW-scale site load |
Driven by simultaneous charging and operational peaks. |
Autonomy and Autonomous Operation
For terminal tractors, OEM-to-OEM differences are often incremental. The step-function change is the control mode: manual, remote/supervised, or fully autonomous (system-level).
Autonomy changes labor, uptime targets, safety cases, and the energy stack (more charging intensity and higher availability requirements).
| Mode |
What It Means Operationally |
Typical Requirements |
Energy / Infrastructure Implication |
| Manual |
Human driver operates within yard rules |
Depot chargers; basic telematics |
Charging is schedulable; BESS helpful at scale. |
| Remote / supervised |
Human supervision with remote assist; constrained ODD |
Connectivity; remote ops workflow; geofencing |
Higher uptime targets; power smoothing more valuable. |
| Fully autonomous (system) |
Autonomy stack and fleet orchestration; 24/7 utilization |
Site mapping; safety case; remote ops center; integration |
Charging intensity rises; BESS buffering and microgrid planning often become mandatory. |
When Depot Charging Breaks
| Trigger |
What You See |
What You Do Next |
| Fleet expansion |
More simultaneous charging; demand spikes |
Add BESS for buffering and peak shaving; stagger charging schedules. |
| High uptime targets |
Less downtime available; opportunity charging dominates |
Increase charger power/quantity; consider on-site energy orchestration. |
| Poor power quality / flicker |
Voltage sag events during peaks |
Add power conditioning and BESS; evaluate grid interconnect upgrades. |
| Grid constraints or long upgrades |
Interconnect delays; insufficient transformer capacity |
Microgrid strategy: on-site generation plus BESS plus controller (FED/EAY). |
Digital Systems & Connectivity
| Capability |
How to Treat It in EX |
Why It Matters |
| Telematics |
Standard / optional / unknown |
Foundation for energy analytics, maintenance, and fleet operations. |
| OTA updates |
None / limited / full / unknown |
Signals software-defined maturity and long-term maintainability. |
| Fleet system compatibility |
Generic compatible / OEM tools / unknown |
Indicates readiness for enterprise integration without naming vendors. |
| Yard system relevance |
High (yard-bounded asset) |
Strong tie to yard orchestration and autonomous workflows. |
