Linde Material Handling has been working on the development of series-ready industrial trucks with fuel cells for two decades. "In 1997, we were the first to focus intensively on this promising technology and put the first trucks into series production in 2010," says Weinberger. "Today, the Linde brand has the largest range of industrial trucks with fuel cell drives on the market. Around 80 percent of all models can be ordered with this promising energy variant. These include low-platform trucks, tow tractors or reach trucks as well as counterbalance trucks, including the Roadster model."

Cleverly combined

With the Linde Roadster, a forklift truck meets a drive concept: thanks to its vehicle layout, it ensures a good view of the route and load. The elimination of the usual A-pillar, which could be dispensed with thanks to the power detour via overhead tilt cylinders and the overhead guard frame, contributes significantly to this. The Roadster versions of the Linde E20 to E35 electric forklift trucks therefore score particularly well in logistics and industrial plants with heavy passenger traffic. The operator can also perform precision work such as storing in containers more easily thanks to the significantly larger field of vision.

"Because the Roadster really comes into its own indoors, the combination with fuel cell technology seemed ideal to us," says Linde expert Weinberger, explaining the expansion of the portfolio. After all, the energy system does not produce any emissions during operation. Energy is generated through the chemical reaction of oxygen and hydrogen. The electricity generated in this way feeds a lithium-ion battery, which in turn supplies the traction and lifting motors; at the same time, the accumulator serves as a buffer for recovered braking energy and as a "power reserve" during power peaks. The only by-products of the process are heat and pure water. The latter is pumped out when refueling with hydrogen.

Keyword refueling: this is where the strength of fuel cell technology is revealed: a complete refueling process takes just three minutes. This ensures availability - especially in tough multi-shift operations, where the energy system also impresses with its continuous power output. As the simple, quick and clean refueling process makes battery changes obsolete, this makes the fuel cell Roadster ideal for use in hygiene-critical sectors such as the pharmaceutical or food industry.

Of course, the economic efficiency factor also plays a decisive role. Linde expert Markus Weinberger: "Our investigations and practical tests show that fuel cell systems can be economically viable from a deployment of around 20 vehicles. If the company already has its own hydrogen infrastructure, as hydrogen is needed in production anyway, the concept becomes even more economically attractive." There is also a whole range of ecological benefits, from the comparatively long service life of a fuel cell of around 10,000 operating hours to the_{CO2 savings} if the hydrogen produced comes from renewable sources such as biogas or electrolysis using solar and/or wind energy.