The first hydrogen truck in the Cargo City at Malpensa
Hydrogen enters the normal logistics flows of Milan Malpensa for the first time. A fuel-cell truck from Gruber Logistics has reached the Pass4Core, the secure parking lot of the Cargo City, to make deliveries to the operators BCUBE Air Cargo and ALHA.
The most important element of the operation is precisely its operational nature: it was not a simple demonstration, but a transport included in the daily activities of the airport. The truck delivered the goods within Cargo City also using the Smart City digital flows used at Malpensa to coordinate shipments, accesses and deliveries.
The initiative was carried out by Gruber Logistics with the support of SEA Aeroporti di Milano and Edison and makes it possible to verify the use of a hydrogen-powered heavy vehicle in a particularly complex context, where road transport, cargo handling, handlers and airport infrastructures must work in a coordinated way.
From long-haul to airport operations
The truck used at Malpensa is part of the experience gained by Gruber Logistics together with Scania as part of the European project ZEFES - Zero Emission flexible vehicle platforms with modular powertrains serving the long-haul Freight Eco System.
The program tests heavy fuel-cell vehicles powered by hydrogen in long-distance transport. The arrival of the vehicle in Cargo City therefore makes it possible to transfer this technology from road transport to a new phase of the logistics chain, testing its integration directly within a large international airport.
A hydrogen hub at Malpensa
The test anticipates a larger project planned for the Lombardy airport. In fact, Edison is developing a hub for the production and distribution of green hydrogen near the Malpensa SafePark Truck. The goal is to produce hydrogen directly in the airport area and make it available for the refueling of vehicles used in services connected to the airport. A solution that, if developed on a larger scale, would make it possible to integrate energy production and mobility into the airport's logistics processes.
The transition to Cargo City therefore takes on concrete value: even before the planned refueling infrastructure is available, a hydrogen vehicle has already been included in a real mission, allowing operators to gather experience on its daily use.
The role of the European project OLGA
The experimentation is also part of the activities of the European project OLGA - hOListic Green Airport, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme to develop new solutions dedicated to the decarbonisation of airports. SEA participates in the project with activities related to energy and hydrogen, working on possible applications related to the production, refuelling and use of this energy carrier at Malpensa.
The goal of Milan Malpensa (MXP) is to achieve Net Zero by 2030. The use of hydrogen vehicles in logistics does not directly change the passenger experience, but intervenes on one of the systems that allow a large airport to function every day: the transport of goods and services related to airport operations.
