Hydrogen container handler tested by Hyster

Hyster Company has announced the testing of a top-pick container handler powered by hydrogen fuel cells (HFC) at Fenix Marine Services in the Port of Los Angeles.

Building on the industry standard Hyster® H1050-1150XD-CH top-pick container handler design, the truck is powered by two 45kw hydrogen fuel cells from Nuvera, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyster parent company Hyster-Yale Group.

A California Climate Investments grant awarded by the California Air Resources Board in 2018 helped support development of the HFC-powered container handler.

The HFC-powered top pick is designed to provide the zero emissions benefits of a battery electric option, with enough capacity to keep operators moving and avoid the need to stop in the middle of a shift to refuel or recharge.

Refuelling the top pick with hydrogen fuel is expected to take approximately 15 minutes, with the intention to provide 8 to 10 hours of continuous run time, while producing no harmful emissions – only water and heat.

The hydrogen fuel cell works in tandem with an onboard lithium-ion battery to either power the equipment directly or charge the onboard battery.

The top pick is also equipped with a Hyster® energy recovery system for electric container handlers that recovers and stores energy from lowering loads and braking.

The Fenix Marine Services (FMS) container terminal, acquired in 2021 by the CMA CGM Group, uses compressed hydrogen delivered on-site to fuel the top pick.

Hyster has recently launched lithium-ion powered forklifts with load capacities up to 36,000 pounds, and previously announced a pilot of a fuel-cell powered ReachStacker at the Port of Valencia, a fuel cell-powered empty container handler at a terminal in Hamburg, Germany and a joint partnership to develop electric and hydrogen powered terminal tractors.