Belgium – VIL and WaterstofNet present Hydrolog results, hydrogen for logistics project.
Spearhead cluster VIL and HydrogenNet presented the results of the ‘Hydrolog’ project during a closing event at Toyota Material Handling Belgium in Willebroek. In Hydrolog, the partners examined the possibilities of hydrogen for internal means of transport.
No less than 18 companies (Aertssen, Air Liquide, Antwerp Euroterminal (AET), Brussels Airport, Delhaize, DEME, Ecosource, Engie Electrabel, Fluxys, Inovyn, Kalmar, Motrac, MPET, POM Limburg, PSA Antwerp, Rentaloc, STILL and Toyota Material Handling) worked together on a concrete roadmap and demonstrations for hydrogen in internal logistics.
The VIL project Hydrolog has shown that hydrogen is no longer a distant dream, but can be a reality for companies to green their internal transport (e.g. forklifts). If used correctly, appliances with a fuel cell can already be competitive with battery-electric ones.
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Despite being more expensive to purchase, hydrogen appliances can be used to the maximum because they only have to refuel for a few minutes to easily complete a shift. In order to make the more expensive tank infrastructure optimally profitable, a sufficiently large fleet is in order.
In the heavier segments, for example ‘terminal tractors’ or ‘container handlers’, hydrogen will become dominant in the future. This category of devices is still in prototype phase.
VIL and HydrogenNet successfully tested a hydrogen-powered terminal tractor and a forklift truck for six weeks at two terminals in the port of Antwerp. The demonstrations showed that hydrogen can be used as a zero-emission fuel in a safe and performant way to drive the heavy logistics equipment.
For the delivery at the terminals, one could call on the mobile hydrogen filling station of HydrogenNet. This project has shown that it is possible to permit the storage and refuelling of hydrogen, even in an environment with high safety requirements.
The permit processes are time-consuming and costly, as the legislation is not yet fully equipped for this new fuel, but certainly not a showstopper.
Yannick Van den Broeck, Project manager of Hydrolog looks back:
Within the project, we successfully tested the very first hydrogen terminal tractor in Flanders in real conditions.
“With an extensive study and TCO tool, the companies can now see for themselves whether and when hydrogen can be interesting for their internal transport. I am convinced that this project will contribute to an accelerated roll-out of hydrogen-powered logistics devices”.
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VIL and HydrogenNet present Hydrolog results, August 31, 2021
