(L-R)Russel Keller, senior director of SCRA's next energy initiatives, John Werderman, vice president of business development with Hydrogenics' power systems unit; and Troy Garrison, sales and operations manager with a LiftOne branch.

Canadian fuel cell system provider Hydrogenics Corp has signed an agreement with forklift distributor LiftOne to participate in a USD1 million project for trials deploying fuel cells on forklifts in South Carolina.

"We believe the market for [fuel cell use in] forklifts exists today," John Werderman, Hydrogenics' business development vice president for its power systems unit, said at a press conference at ProMat 2007, in Chicago.

LiftOne's North Carolina branch sales & operations manager Troy Garrison said the forklift distributor aimed to aggressively market fuel cells as an alternative to other forklift power sources. LiftOne, a Carolina Tractor division, serves Virginia's western regions and the North Carolina and South Carolina states.

The agreement involves Hydrogenics, LiftOne and a South Carolina collaboration. The collaboration aims to establish Columbia, South Carolina, as a centre of expertise in developing fuel cell hybrid technology for manufacturing and distribution applications.

"All three parties will contribute and supplement to bring the [fuel cell and ultracapacitor] cost down to that of batteries," said Russel Keller, senior director for next energy initiatives with the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA), in North Charleston, South Carolina.

The collaboration, called the Greater Columbia Fuel Cell Challenge, includes the University of South Carolina, the City of Columbia, SCRA and regional technology nonprofit body Engenuity SC.

Deployment of Hydrogenics' HyPX-equipped forklifts will begin in May or June and, sequentially over six months, involve six major manufacturers.

Hydrogenics is preparing to deploy HyPX packs on 19 forklifts in the northern summer at the Oshawa assembly complex of General Motors of Canada Ltd (Forkliftaction.com News #270).

Separately at a ProMat exhibit, General Hydrogen Corp, of Richmond, Canada, displayed its Hydricity packs on five forklifts, a Toyota 7FBCHU25, a Raymond 740 R45TT, a Komatsu FB32SH-6 and two Caterpillars, an EX5000 and WR6000.

Numerous manufacturers are testing General Hydrogen's Hydricity packs for forklifts at facilities across North America (Forkliftaction.com News #273).