The first 10 of the 30 forklift trucks with hydrogen filled tanks that run on fuel cells will undergo tests at Risavika harbor just outside Stavanger in Norway. The trucks developed under the auspices of the European Union incorporate a power system that has been produced by a cooperative European effort managed by the European Union.
These large European hydrogen-driven trucks are designed to carry heavy loads.
The bigger sized forklift trucks produced by Dantruck were displayed at the Hanover held CeMAT trade fair. The fuel cell technology utilized in the truck is developed by H2 Logic, a Danish company, which it had formulated earlier along with SINTEF and Statoil as partners with Scandinavian support. Under its hood, the truck incorporates a tiny power station in the form of a fuel cell powered by hydrogen to deliver the required power for its electric motor and to run the truck emitting water vapor instead of noxious emissions.
SINTEF is associated in the project from the very initial stage and it will carryout laboratory tests during the trial run to assess the fall in performance levels of the fuel cells used during the running of trucks. It will collect, organize and study the feedbacks received during the test runs of the trucks. The data and knowledge derived in the test process will be deployed to better the control systems of the trucks, and to optimize the performance levels of their operations by augmenting the life-cycle of the fuel cells that realize the mercantile requirements of the market.
According to Steffen Møller-Holst from SINTEF, the hydrogen utilizing forklifts that run on fuel cells incorporate the advantages of both the battery and diesel driven forklifts. The energy efficient vehicles can be refueled quickly like a diesel powered vehicles and are eco-friendly like their battery powered counterparts. The scientists at the company explained that a forklift running on fuel cells for a total period of 16 hours in two shifts will offset carbon dioxide emissions from eight private run cars.