In the HyLIFT-EUROPE project, over 200 forklift trucks with fuel cell drives point the way to an efficient and CO2-free future
As the project coordinator, Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH (LBST) led a consortium of 13 European partners in the HyLIFT-EUROPE demonstration project funded by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). In the course of the 6-year project, the largest European fleet of industrial trucks with hydrogen and fuel cell drives to date, with 212 devices, was used in a commercial environment by a large French supermarket chain and a logistician for frozen goods.
The use of more than 200 state-of-the-art forklifts with fuel cell drives and the associated hydrogen refueling infrastructure as part of the HyLIFT-EUROPE project has shown the great potential of this technology and was able to make a significant contribution to market development and reaching market maturity. From a technical point of view, industrial trucks with fuel cell drive combine the advantages of pure battery devices (e.g. unrestricted use in closed rooms) with the advantages of fuel-powered internal combustion engine devices (high capacity utilization, high performance, continuous performance level, fast refueling, etc.). From an economic point of view, industrial trucks with fuel cell drives can be used advantageously where large fleets with high utilization are in use. The realized value chain encompassed large as well as medium-sized and small companies that cooperated in the project to increase their presence and competence in hydrogen and fuel cell technology in the field of industrial trucks. The HyLIFT-EUROPE project thus laid the foundation for the further commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technology in industrial trucks after 2018.
For further information please see: www.hylift-europe.eu