An autonomous electric truck from China's tech company Westwell transports a container at Port of Felixstowe in Britain, Nov. 20, 2025. As a cold November wind swept across the Port of Felixstowe, a new convoy of autonomous electric trucks from China's Westwell glided silently through the North Rail Terminal, marking the arrival of a second batch of driverless units at Britain's largest port.(Xinhua/Li Ying)
by Xinhua writers Zheng Bofei, Yu Aicen, Jin Jing
LONDON, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- As a cold November wind swept across the Port of Felixstowe, a new convoy of autonomous electric trucks from China's Westwell glided silently through the North Rail Terminal, marking the arrival of a second batch of driverless units at Britain's largest port.
Adam Ramsey, commercial director of Hutchison Ports, said the Port of Felixstowe handles "the majority of the UK's trade with Asia," underscoring its need for efficient and reliable operations.
Clemence Cheng, CEO of Hutchison Ports, said the new units can identify small objects such as a seagull and continue operating. He added that the driverless fleet helps cut emissions, shorten turnaround times and improve safety.
Benjamin Gaunt, senior project manager at Westwell, said the vehicles are not "just futuristic," but enhance safety, visibility and overall efficiency. Their rapid battery-swap system completes a full change in under five minutes.
Westwell founder and chairman Tan Limin said the company has cooperated with Hutchison Ports since 2018, leading to a 2023 contract for 100 autonomous units. He noted that each Q-Truck cuts about 50 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Tan stressed that the technology is intended to operate within a mixed-traffic environment and support, not replace, the port's workforce. He said it contributes to the port's long-term carbon-reduction goals.
Britain's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said China, with a quarter of the global R&D workforce and 20 percent of the world's top academic institutions, is well positioned to work with Britain in areas such as climate and environmental technology.
Market specialists share similar views. Dan Caesar, chief executive of Electric Vehicles UK, said many people use devices from China, the United States and South Korea without hesitation, adding that there is "some fearmongering going on about what the Chinese are capable of."
As driverless electric trucks operate alongside human-driven vehicles, Britain's largest port is adjusting in real time as it integrates Chinese autonomous technology into its daily operations. ■
An autonomous electric truck from China's tech company Westwell transports a container at Port of Felixstowe in Britain, Nov. 20, 2025. As a cold November wind swept across the Port of Felixstowe, a new convoy of autonomous electric trucks from China's Westwell glided silently through the North Rail Terminal, marking the arrival of a second batch of driverless units at Britain's largest port.(Xinhua/Li Ying)
An autonomous electric truck from China's tech company Westwell transports a container at Port of Felixstowe in Britain, Nov. 20, 2025. As a cold November wind swept across the Port of Felixstowe, a new convoy of autonomous electric trucks from China's Westwell glided silently through the North Rail Terminal, marking the arrival of a second batch of driverless units at Britain's largest port.(Xinhua/Li Ying)
An autonomous electric truck from China's tech company Westwell transports a container at Port of Felixstowe in Britain, Nov. 20, 2025. As a cold November wind swept across the Port of Felixstowe, a new convoy of autonomous electric trucks from China's Westwell glided silently through the North Rail Terminal, marking the arrival of a second batch of driverless units at Britain's largest port.(Xinhua/Li Ying)
An autonomous electric truck from China's tech company Westwell gets ready to load a container at Port of Felixstowe in Britain, Nov. 20, 2025. As a cold November wind swept across the Port of Felixstowe, a new convoy of autonomous electric trucks from China's Westwell glided silently through the North Rail Terminal, marking the arrival of a second batch of driverless units at Britain's largest port.(Xinhua/Li Ying)
An autonomous electric truck from China's tech company Westwell gets ready to load a container at Port of Felixstowe in Britain, Nov. 20, 2025. As a cold November wind swept across the Port of Felixstowe, a new convoy of autonomous electric trucks from China's Westwell glided silently through the North Rail Terminal, marking the arrival of a second batch of driverless units at Britain's largest port.(Xinhua/Li Ying)
