BY TOBY GOOLEY, SENIOR EDITOR
LIFT TRUCKS
LIFT TRUCK FLEET MANAGERS ARE PERPETUALLY ON
a quest to find more efficient, less costly, and lower-mainte-nance equipment. That applies not just to the forklifts themselves but also to the power sources that keep them moving.
The result has been significant improvements in existing
power technologies as well as the development of new ones.
One of the newer options is the hydrogen fuel cell, which
produces electricity through a chemical reaction between
hydrogen and oxygen. While it’s unlikely they will ever fully
replace tried-and-true technologies like lead-acid batteries,
hydrogen fuel cells do show promise. Proponents tout their
labor savings, environmental benefits, and ease of refueling,
among other advantages.
But like any developing technology, fuel cells also have
drawbacks, and critics say there’s good reason so few lift
truck fleets are using them. That could soon change, however. Some recent developments suggest hydrogen fuel cells
could see wider adoption in the next three to five years.
THE UPSIDE
One of the main reasons fleet managers consider switching
to fuel cells is that they offer significant labor savings. Fuel
cells can be attractive in that regard because it takes less time
to refill them than it does to swap out batteries. Refueling
involves refilling an onboard storage tank with compressed
hydrogen, so the fuel cells “can be refueled in a couple of
minutes and be back in operation right away,” says Andy
Marsh, CEO of Plug Power Inc., a supplier of hydrogen fuel
cells, fueling systems, and services. He contrasts that with
changing batteries, which requires lift truck operators to take
15 minutes or more out of their shift and can leave them
queued up outside a battery room instead of out on the floor
materialhandlingupdate
Hydrogen fuel cells have been touted
as the next big thing in powering
electric lift trucks, yet for many reasons
adoption rates remain low. Here’s why.
Almost ready
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