EHXYPDOR OPRGEVNI EFWUE L CELLS ADVANMCAERDC LHIF 1T0-T-1R4U, C20K2 T0 E• CLHANS OVLEOGGAYS
“HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS CAN BE
RAPIDLY REFUELLED IN AS LITTLE AS
THREE MINUTES, SIMILAR TO AN
INTERNAL COMBUSTION POWERED
ABOVE AND RIGHT: Hydrogen
lift-trucks are quick to refuel
and offer excellent levels of
power to meet challenging
warehouse work rates
LaFevers, vice president, emerging
technology, Hyster. “ is equates to 20
minutes of lost productivity every four
to eight hours. Hydrogen fuel cells can
be rapidly refuelled in as little as three
minutes, similar to an internal
combustion powered li truck. In
LIFT TRUCK”
Steven LaFevers, vice president emerging technology, Hyster
Advantages
Environmental bene ts are clear:
water and heat are the only byproducts
and no harmful emissions
are produced. However, this accounts
for only half the story. Convenience,
e ciency and extra productivity are
also important factors to consider, as
is the space freed up on a vehicle that
is otherwise used for batteries. Also,
there is no degradation of
performance during a shi as
compared with lead-acid batteries,
which tends to diminish towards the
end of a charge. However, large-scale
24/7 operations bene t most of all and
much of that bene t is derived from
the speed of refuelling without
disruption to production or loss of
working space.
“Currently, many electric li trucks
use lead-acid batteries. Once the
battery charge expires, the battery
must be removed and taken to a
charging room, and a freshly charged
battery must be installed,” says Steven
10 years
The proven lifetime of
a hydrogen fuel cell, with
over 97% availability
multi-shi operations with two or
more battery replacements per day,
the quick refuelling of hydrogen fuel
cells saves time and helps increase
operator e ciency. Furthermore, since
li -truck operators can refuel
hydrogen themselves, operations can
32 iVTInternational.com June 2020
/iVTInternational.com