DC Velocity - June 2009

technologyreview FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY

trucks handle.

Toyota Industries Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. continue to test a prototype in Japan of an integrated, ergonomi-cally advanced fuel-cell lift truck that was introduced at ProMat 2007 in Chicago. There is no set launch date, according to Cesar Jimenez, electric product planning & product marketing manager for Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc.

In April 2008, Raymond launched a joint venture with fuel-cell maker Ballard Power Systems to research designs for integrated fuel-cell trucks with Ballard’s technology to power the vehicles. Medwin of Raymond would not comment on the project’s status other than to say that it is moving forward.

Efforts to advance fuel-cell technology have received two important boosts from Washington. The bank bailout legislation signed by President Bush last October included an eight-year extension of a tax credit equal to 30 percent of a fuel cell’s unit price or $3,000 per kilowatt hour of use, whichever is less. The $787 billion economic stimulus plan signed by President Obama in mid-February authorized until Jan. 1, 2011, a 30-percent tax credit, up to $200,000, for investment in hydrogen refueling systems. The prior ceiling had been $30,000.

The expansion of the tax credit for refueling systems

should dramatically shorten the time needed to achieve a return on the initial investment, says Russ Keller, senior director of the alternative energy program at the South Carolina Research Authority, a Charleston-based organization that provides research and development support for government and academia. “The challenge [to obtaining a return on investment] is the fueling infrastructure,” Keller says. The sweeteners in the stimulus law will “make a nice dent in reducing the ROI,” he adds.

For all the promise, however, the jury remains out on fuel cells. Batteries and internal combustion engines rule the lift-truck world, and they are not expected to disappear. Jimenez of Toyota says there is room for both power sources to co-exist, with the choice of battery or fuel-cell power depending on the demands placed on the lift trucks. Companies that require their trucks to be used continuously will find fuel cells more practical and economical, while those that use their trucks less frequently and have more downtime will continue to opt for battery power, he says.

Those placing their bets with fuel cells say time and trends are on their side. When asked at what point the material handling industry can reasonably expect fuel cells to be a viable alternative, Erik Jensen, manager of new technology, research, and development at Crown, replied, “That day is today.”

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