Kempower Chargers Now Live at GCT Vancouver as DP World Deal Adds 46 More Across Canadian Ports

Canadian ports are quietly becoming one of the country's fastest-growing fast-charging markets. Finnish charging manufacturer Kempower has installed new DC fast-charging infrastructure at Global Container Terminals' (GCT) Vancouver terminal this month, and separately struck a multi-site framework agreement with DP World, Canada's largest terminal operator, to supply charging equipment across all of its Canadian sites.

GCT Vancouver: 42 ports, 2.05 MW, already running

At GCT's Vancouver terminal, which serves the Port of Vancouver, Kempower and its official Canadian sales and service partner EVlution Charge have installed 21 dual-plug satellite chargers, providing 42 charging ports and 2.05 megawatts of power. The chargers are already operational and supporting GCT's electric service vehicle fleet.

GCT is a majority Canadian-owned operator that runs Canada's largest container terminal at the Port of Vancouver, part of the Pacific Gateway network, and has set a target of cutting its absolute emissions by 45 percent by 2030. Kyron Harvett, GCT's manager of operations technology, said a technical review found Kempower's system offered the charging density and flexibility needed for 24/7 terminal operations.

GCT recently ran a multi-day trial of a heavy-duty battery-electric terminal tractor using only opportunity charging and reported near-total uptime. "The system enables opportunity charging during shift changes and breaks, maximizing equipment availability while minimizing operational disruption," Harvett said in a statement to Electric Autonomy Canada.

DP World: 46 satellite chargers across three BC terminals

DP World runs five terminals in Canada — Vancouver, Fraser Surrey, Nanaimo and Prince Rupert in B.C., plus Saint John, N.B. — and is building a new container terminal at Contrecoeur, near the Port of Montreal, expected to be finished by 2030.

In the first phase of the partnership, Kempower will install 46 of its satellite chargers across the Vancouver, Fraser Surrey and Prince Rupert terminals, delivering a combined 4.4 megawatts. The deal standardizes equipment across DP World's Canadian terminals, supporting electrification of its service vehicles and container-handling machinery.

"This agreement with Kempower gives us a scalable, reliable charging platform that can support our operations today while creating the flexibility to electrify more of our equipment over time," said Doug Smith, CEO of DP World in Canada, in a statement. The agreement extends a relationship that began with Kempower supplying charging infrastructure at DP World's London Gateway logistics hub in the United Kingdom in 2024.

Why ports are the sweet spot for electrification

Jed Routh, vice-president of markets and products with Kempower North America, told Electric Autonomy that ports are ideal candidates for electrification: diesel trucks sit idling waiting for loads, many vehicles stay on port premises where depot charging is available anytime, and short low-speed trips around a port are exactly the duty cycle where diesel engines suffer and electric drivetrains thrive.

"If you're doing low-speed start and stop, you're taking advantage of that regeneration, and so you get a little more efficiency on the vehicle itself than you would if you were just hammering down the road," Routh said.

Both installations use dynamic power sharing, which can raise or lower the power delivered at each port based on vehicle needs, fleet schedules and demand-charge exposure — effectively letting the same hardware act as a fast charger or a 25 kW overnight top-up without penalties.

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