HyLift-0 - Development and benchmarking of 1st generation HT-PEM/Li-Ion hybrid motive power system for forklifts

The objective of the project was to develop a first generation hybrid propulsion system based on the new HT-PEM fuel cell technology combined with advanced Li-Ion batteries and perform a benchmark and test the technology at an end-user. The benchmark should clarify if the combination of HT-PEM fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries was a disruptive technology compared to the known LT-PEM systems with lead-acid batteries. In the HyLIFT-0 project a HT-PEM/Li-Ion hybrid system for a forklift was developed and built. The system has been benchmark'et and tested against an LT-PEM system, at H2 Logic, in a test bench at the Teknologisk Institut and by an end user, Grene A/S. The following efficiencies were measrued for the two fuel cell systems: efficiency fuel cell (eta FC): 25 % (HT-PEM system) and 43% (LT-PEM system; efficiency fuel cell system (eta Modul): 20% (HT-PEM system) and 38% (LT-PEM system). The overall conclusion of the project is that HT-PEM/Li-Ion hybrid fuel cell system at the present stage of development is not a disruptive technology compared to known LT-PEM systems. There are numerous advantages of the system, but there are also some disadvantages, resulting that, overall, it is not a usable technology in forklifts - it is especially the long start-up time of up to 45 minutes that is unacceptable for the fork lifter user. The HT-PEM/Li-Ion system is relatively simple to build and it saves a number of components compared to the LT-PEM system, but the economic advantage of this is counterbalanced by the fuel cell being rather expensive and furthermore it has a relatively low efficiency. This will probably change over time when the technology completed development and volume increase