Billerica, Mass.-based Nuvera Fuel Cells has introduced a line of hybrid fuel cell products for forklift trucks called PowerEdge™ which replaces standard lead acid batteries and consists of the company’s PowerFlow™ hydrogen fuel cell system, sealed maintenance-free batteries, compressed hydrogen storage, and a computerized control system. The unit incorporates all needed counterweight and requires no truck modification or derating.
Unlike conventional motive batteries, PowerEdge stays in the truck and is refueled with hydrogen in 2 minutes or less, allowing operators to get back to the floor immediately. The system comes equipped with automated controls and remote monitoring to provide enhanced fleet management capabilities. Currently available models are the C Series for Class I counterbalance trucks and the R Series for Class II reach trucks.
The fuel cell increases forklift fleet productivity by eliminating time-consuming battery changes and by providing constant voltage to the truck. This combination affords an attractive return on investment to qualified fleets. Federal subsidies recently enacted accelerate customer payback during this initial product introduction phase.
The fuel cell can be quickly refueled by PowerTap™, the company’s on-site hydrogen generation and fast-fueling solution that is designed to provide the lowest cost of fuel possible. Together, they make up the Total Power Solution (TPS), and the company says they are the only purpose-built products available specifically matched to work together. For customers concerned with their carbon footprint, TPS offers an average 33 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared with batteries recharged with electricity.
More information is available from Nuvera Fuel Cells.
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