Mi-Jack to develop hydrogen powered rubber-tire gantry (RTG) crane

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

“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. “I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to Mi-Jack for taking action to decarbonize gantry cranes and trusting US Hybrid as their partner to do it.”

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

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 necessary engineering diagrams and on-site support.

US Hybrid 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.

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. Ideanomics views US Hybrid’s expertise in designing fuel cell systems and electric power trains as a competitive advantage.