Ballard's Mark 1020 ACS ranges in size from one to five kilowatts.

Fuel cells and lead-acid batteries are not necessarily competing technologies, as a new partnership between Ballard Power Systems and Exide Technologies shows.

Ballard and Exide have signed an exclusive five-year agreement where Exide will buy Ballard's hydrogen fuel cell stacks to produce hybrid fuel cell battery systems which will expand the range and lifetime of batteries.

Michael Rosenberg, Ballard's director of materials handling, tells Forkliftaction.com News the program takes Ballard's current materials handling work on a different approach.

"Despite what you hear in the public domain, fuel cells and batteries are complementary, not competing technologies," he says.

Rosenberg explains that the new program combines Ballard's Mark1020 ACS fuel cell stack with Exide's Element valve regulated lead-acid batteries to provide a hybrid system where the fuel cell acts as a battery charger.

"[This] opens incremental revenue opportunities in the materials handling market for both companies and illustrates the flexibility of fuel cells and batteries."

Over the next 18 months, Ballard and Exide will develop up to six prototype hybrid fuel cell battery systems for materials handling applications. There will be a small field trial program and if performance and cost milestones are met, the program will advance towards commercialisation, Rosenberg says.

Exide will only buy fuel cell stacks from Ballard under a five-year deal.

Mark Jesko, Exide's director of marketing for industrial energy in the Americas, says using hydrogen fuel cells for on-board recharging capability will move the company into a growing market segment.

"[We are] demonstrating our commitment to innovation in high-technology energy storage solutions while addressing the unique concerns of our customers."

Once developed, the hybrid hydrogen fuel cell battery system prototypes will be delivered to the US Department of Defense in Michigan. Specific details about their deployment will be available when the prototypes are ready.

The annual forklift battery market is estimated at USD1 billion.