RE:Best quote of the day that's the dumbest quote of the day. Fuel Cells are taking market share away in material handling and backup power for remote telecom facilities. They will eventually take market share from the auto market too. The battery EV car is just an interim step in this development.
Linde Material Handling Delivers Ten Fuel Cell Forklifts to DB Schenker in Austria
04 Jul 2013
Global logistics provider DB Schenker has taken delivery of the first of ten fuel cell powered pallet trucks from Linde and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure from OMV. Funding for the demonstration fleet was provided by the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund, which is in turn financed by the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology.
The goal of the project is to increase the productivity of battery-powered forklift trucks and warehouse equipment, which up to now is limited due to time involved in recharging and changing the battery, the battery’s limited service life and high maintenance costs. The solution is based on the HyLOG Fleet system from Fronius, which replaces the battery and was developed for use in warehouse equipment in collaboration with Linde Material Handling. It comprises a PEM fuel cell as a range extender, a lithium-ion rechargeable battery and a 200-bar hydrogen pressure tank. The package offers a continuous power rating of 2.6 kW and a short-term peak output of 11 kW.
Federal Minister Doris Bures said “Since 2009 we have been promoting promising projects that lead technical innovations towards the market as part of our ‘Electromobility’s Technical Beacons’ programme. I am especially pleased to witness the first pilot trial starting within an industrial company with the E-LOG-Biofleet.”
The hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, developed by OMV, is one of the first examples of indoor refuelling in Europe. The hydrogen is sourced from reformed biogas which further reduces the environmental impact of the installation. The remaining nine pallet trucks are expected to be delivered in the next few months.