Hydrogenics Corp., Mississauga, Ont., a designer and manufacturer of hydrogen and fuel cell systems, entered into a distribution agreement with LiftOne, a division of Carolina Tractor. A material handling dealer with facilities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, LiftOne is Hydrogenics' first distributor for the company's HyPX Fuel Cell Power Pack for lift trucks. Under the agreement, LiftOne will market, sell, and service the fuel cell technology in its operating regions.
The two companies have already received an award to deploy hydrogen fuel cells in forklifts at several manufacturing facilities in South Carolina. The project is an initiative of The Greater Columbia Fuel Cell Challenge, which supports the region's efforts to become a center of expertise in the development of fuel cell hybrid technology in manufacturing and distribution. As part of this initiative, LiftOne will supply two demonstration Class 1 lift trucks equipped with the Hydrogenics fuel cell technology. It will also provide a mobile hydrogen refueler for refueling.
"Besides being a clean technology, hydrogen fuel cells offer significant productivity benefits over other forklift power options," said Bill Ryan, v.p. and general manager of LiftOne. "Through the Greater Columbia Fuel Cell challenge we will now be able to demonstrate these benefits to our customers in a real-life situation."
Hydrogenics HyPX Power Pack incorporates a hybrid fuel cell fueled by hydrogen to deliver a zero emission 'plug and play' lead acid battery replacement. The first generation product has completed several successful pilot deployments that demonstrated significant productivity and operational improvements and savings when compared to lead acid battery vehicles and infrastructure.
Source: Hydrogenics Corp.