The Honda factory in Swindon (UK) has a hydrogen fuel cell powered Yale machine. A lot of the factory is powered by renewable sources like solar power. Don't know of anywhere else here in the UK that has one.

The cost is the killer, the one FLT they have is mainly a marketing tool and cost a small fortune.

Just be be fair, there is an update on these fuel cell trucks. According to the former Electrical engineer at a All Fuel Cell site, the original demo fuel cells worked quite well. All cells in reach, order picker, stand up counter-balanced and double walkies lasted over 8 hrs on a half charge. There was not enough pressure to fill tanks to capacity on test trucks as they were not set up for higher pressures.
The Company buying these cells were impressed, and agreed to proceed with a large purchase. But, they asked the manufacturer to increase the size of the Hydrogen tank, or there would be no deal. They thought " if the truck goes 8 hrs on half a charge, imagine how long it would last with a double tank"
Without testing it, the cells were re-configured with larger tanks. But, with only so much real-estate to produce a hydrogen cell, the "STACK" or heart of the system had to be smaller to accommodate the bigger tank. Turns out this cripples the system and eats gas even more to satisfy the extra load on the smaller Stack.
It's like putting a small V6 in a pick up truck, then making it work hard. Unable to keep up, the engine revs and strains, consuming more fuel.
It's a case of the customer imposing their will on the manufacturer without proper testing.
Fuel cells that were not modified with smaller stacks are performing as first tested, going 8 or more hours per charge.
Thought I should share info on why there were failures at this site....

Like Raytech mentioned lots of bugs to resolve just like any new technology, hands up anyone who is brave enough to be the first to buy Microsoft's latest OS.
With any new technology I would always be cautious and critical of claims espousing the benefits. Having worked in R&D in the automotive sector for many years I tested many new technologies, many of which never made it to market. The added complexity and management systems required for the cells will create extra maintenance costs regardless of how reliable they are or claim to be. This aside one thing is for sure they will gain market share in the next generation, costs will come down and this cycle will continue.

Still a lot of bugs to work out on fuel cells. I'm close to a site with over 300 trucks running on fuel cells. They brought the warehouse to a standstill when they were first introduced. Repairs could not be made fast enough to keep the fleet going. The Fuel cell "brochure" touted them as longer lasting, faster charging and less maintenance than lead acid. In fact, they take longer to recharge than battery changes, they don't last a full shift and require far more maintenance than lead acid batteries, lasting only 100 hrs between service. Noise from fans is a big issue. They are sensitive to dust and debris getting inside. A constant stream of transport trucks have to refill huge tanks as The hydrogen is produced in another province. It's very expensive to go green, but I thought Batteries were already green? I think the Europeans are smart enough to wait until hydrogen is perfected before changing over !

Perhaps the answer is the length of time Europeans vs Americans keep their equipment. On another thread it was brought out that Europeans turn over their equipment much quicker than their American counterparts. After much discussion I don't think an answer was ever reached as to why this is.

But if Americans keep their equipment longer- then it would stand to reason that the infrastructure needed to power fuel cells would be spread over a longer time frame- reducing the yearly costs compared to the European model

The use of methanol as the main agent eliminates this completely. The unit cost is as cheap if not cheaper than electricity and there are no safety issues regarding storage. Hydrogen on the other hand does have safety issues albeit the latest containment methods are reducing these concerns. The delivery of hydrogen via pumps in a factory environment means storage tanks can be located outside the warehouse facilities in a separate building.

Thanks Roibeard, great to hear your views. What about the Health and Safety concerns of having a potentially explosive gas supply near vehicles, pallets etc? Do you think that comes into it?

I have carried out research into this area at some length. While the technology is available in several forms mainly hydrogen and methanol based the overriding issue like all new technologies is cost. Fleet sizes in the US are larger than in Europe and so benefit from economies of scale. Several European based companies are actively looking at fuel cells but until cost issues concerning capital investment and fuel cost and delivery/reforming to/at point of use are achievable then market penetration will be slow.