Hyster Europe is currently developing a zero-emission reachstacker featuring a hydrogen fuel cell for the port of Valencia, as part of the European Horizon 2020 programme and H2Ports project.
“An on-board Hydrogen fuel cell will charge the battery on the forthcoming fully electric Hyster Reachstacker,” said Jan Willem van den Brand, Director Big Truck Product Strategy and Solutions at Hyster Europe. “As the first of its kind, we expect the new Hyster Reachstacker will be able to support continuous operations while providing zero emissions and achieving comparable full shift performance to a conventional IC reachstacker,” he added.
According to Hyster Europe noise levels will be low, and users can expect a reduction in energy costs. The company also expects reduced vehicle maintenance costs thanks to the elimination of the engine, transmission and other mechanical-driven components.
“Achieving zero emissions for container handling equipment at seaports is a substantial challenge.The highly demanding and varied duty cycles in these intense operations make battery recharging time a critical factor. These and other technical limitations have obstructed the electrification of container handlers or large lift trucks until now,” concluded van den Brand.
The new reachstacker is expected to enter operation in 2021 at the MSC Terminal Valencia (MSCTV) in Spain, where it will undergo thorough testing handling laden shipping containers alongside several existing reachstackers.
