Nissan's fuel cellpowered forklift

Nissan Forklift in Europe is working with its automotive sister company to develop a fuel cell-powered industrial forklift. The concept machine is pictured here.

Nissan says the big advantages of the fuel cell power source is that it uses clean hydrogen as its fuel and the only by-product is pure water. Operational advantages could include longer cycle times than current battery powered trucks and also shorter refuelling times, as the only requirement is to replenish the high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks on the forklift. There is no need to charge a battery.

The design incorporates a high capacity capacitor to store electrical energy generated during braking. During periods of heavy workload the energy from the capacitor can be used to power the electric motor.