Ideanomics, a global company focused on accelerating the commercial adoption of zeroemission vehicles, has announced that its subsidiary, US Hybrid, has been selected by Mi-Jack to convert a rubbertyred gantry (RTG) crane from fossil diesel to hydrogen power.

Under the terms of the agreement, US Hybrid is managing all procurement, engineering and design work relating to the hydrogen propulsion kit. The company will source a hydrogen fuel cell system from Hyundai Motor Corp, and will locally manufacture core components including the hydrogen storage tanks and cooling systems.

All manufacturing, assembly and system testing will occur at US Hybrid’s engineering facility in Torrance, California. Mi-Jack will install the hydrogen propulsion kit into the RTG crane at its Illinois facility, with US Hybrid providing all the necessary engineering diagrams and on-site support.

“For our exceptional engineers at US Hybrid, this is a dream project. They get to come up with a zero-emission way to power a very big and energy-intensive piece of machinery,” says Macy Neshati, chief commercial officer at Ideanomics. “I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to Mi-Jack for taking action to decarbonise gantry cranes and trusting US Hybrid as their partner to do it.”

“The new reality for intermodal terminals is achieving carbon neutrality,” says Aaron Newton, VP of sales at Mi-Jack. “Offering hydrogen-powered RTG cranes is paramount for ensuring terminals meet their carbon-neutrality goals without compromising on performance. We look forward to collaborating with US Hybrid on bringing innovative hydrogen-powered solutions to the intermodal market.”

Ideanomics says RTG cranes are among the largest, noisiest, heaviestpolluting and hard to decarbonise pieces of equipment in ports and railyards. They operate 10-20 hours per day, continuously lifting shipping containers that can weigh nearly 80,000lbs when fully loaded.

“This job requires a lot of power, and most RTG cranes still rely on fossil fuels to meet this need. On average, a RTG crane burns 10 US gallons per hour. One gallon of diesel emits 22lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere,” the company says.

“Hydrogen is a much better option for RTG cranes. Hydrogen fuel cells can be refilled fast, are proven to operate efficiently in extreme hot and cold weather, and deliver the same or more power as diesel. Powered by hydrogen, RTG cranes can keep operating reliably with zero emissions.”

US Hybrid has strategic partnerships with international OEMs to convert new and existing internal combustion engine-powered port equipment to zero emission, and is working to develop zero-emission buses and trucks.

Ideanomics views US Hybrid’s expertise in designing fuel cell systems and electric power trains as a competitive advantage and is committed to supporting the growth of the subsidiary.

Mi-Jack produces RTG cranes and other products and solutions globally. It is part of the Lanco Group of Companies.

Ideanomics subsidiary and Mi-Jack to develop Hydrogen-Powered rtg