Nuvera Fuel Cells Inc has unveiled a PowerEdge-brand motive power product for forklifts.

The line of hybrid PowerEdge products consists of Nuvera's PowerFlow-brand hydrogen fuel cell system, sealed maintenance-free batteries, compressed hydrogen storage and a computerised control system. PowerEdge can replace standard lead acid batteries.

Nuvera began development of the hybrid fuel cell power pack in 2005 in conjunction with East Penn Manufacturing Co Inc of Lyon Station, Pennsylvania, the maker of Deka-brand batteries. In early February, Nuvera and East Penn ended the project on mutually agreeable terms.

For Nuvera, PowerEdge is the next technological step.
"The (PowerEdge) product has undergone 13,000 hours of real-world testing and service at East Penn's distribution center in Topton, Pennsylvania," says Gus Block, Nuvera director of marketing. "The core technology of PowerEdge is Nuvera's industrial PowerFlow fuel cell power module, which we began developing in 2002." PowerFlow technology is now in its third generation.

To date, Nuvera has delivered 100 PowerFlow units.

The PowerEdge unit incorporates all needed counterweight and requires no truck modification or de-rating. PowerEdge, unlike conventional motive batteries, stays in the truck and is refueled with hydrogen in two minutes or less.

The smart PowerEdge system comes equipped with automated controls and remote monitoring for fleet management. Nuvera introduced the C Series for Class 1 counterbalance trucks and the R Series for Class 2 reach trucks.

Block says that Nuvera provides pricing details to customers after initial qualification, site survey and analysis. "Our aim is to provide an attractive return, considered on a life-cycle cost basis," Block notes. "Tax credits recently enacted offset up to 30% of the price of both PowerTap and PowerEdge, (and) significant (US) federal and state incentives are available to further reduce both the capital investment and operating costs."

Nuvera has corporate offices, analytical research laboratories, and product development, testing, and production facilities in Billerica, Massachusetts and Milan, Italy. The facilities occupy more than 125,000 square feet (11,700 sqm).

Nuvera manufactures PowerEdge in Billerica and uses contract manufacturers to produce its PowerTap on-site hydrogen generation and fast-fueling system for shipment to customer sites for final assembly and commissioning.

PowerEdge and PowerTap make up the Total Power Solution (TPS) and, Nuvera says, are "the only purpose-built products available today specifically matched to work together for the material handling industry".

Nuvera says TPS offers an average 33% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared with batteries recharged with electricity.