Hydrogen-Powered Forklift to Roll Out at Green Expo

By GreenerDesign Staff
Published September 8, 2008

Innovation

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SANTA ANA, Calif. -- Myers Select Material Handling is presenting a prototype of a Linde hydrogen-combustion forklift at a green conference next week in Southern California.

The forklift, manufactured by Linde, is about 50 inches wide, 87 inches tall and 90 inches long. It was first displayed this past spring at a conference in Germany and is scheduled to have its North American debut at the Future is Green Conference, which is being held September 14 to 16 in Long Beach.

There are electric forklifts already on the market manufactured by Linde and others that are powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, acknowledged Dale Verseput, a Linde spokesman.

"What we are introducing at the (Future is) Green Conference is an internal combustion forklift that actually burns hydrogen instead of a petroleum-based fuel," Verseput said in a statement to GreenerDesign. "The result is an engine-powered forklift with zero harmful emissions. To our knowledge, no one else in the world has developed this technology yet for use in lift trucks."

The forklift, described as having a 3 tonne capacity, holds 26 liters of hydrogen, equivalent to roughly 2.3 liters of useable diesel, the company said. It is not expected to be available for purchase for about seven years.

"We are on the leading edge of forklift manufacturing," Verseput said. "Our goal is to raise awareness in the production industry to allow these machines to be economically feasible. The greater number of companies that can make a commitment to hydrogen-powered technology, the cleaner our environment will be."

When the hydrogen-powered model is available, Myers Select said it will be the exclusive provider in Southern California. Myers Select is based in based in Santa Ana.