Port of Valencia receives world’s first hydrogen-powered reach stacker

This prototype joins the hydrogen-powered tractor unit and the mobile hydrogen supply station (HRS) which will be tested in real operating conditions in the Port of Valencia from this month until December 2024.

It is the world’s first hydrogen powered reach stacker and has been developed by Hyster, a leading forklift truck manufacturer.

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The refuelling and operational tests will be supervised by the technical team of Hyster, MSC Terminal Valencia, Centro Nacional del Hidrógeno, Carburos Metálicos and the Valenciaport Foundation as coordinator of this project.

The fuel cell powered Hyster reach stacker is expected to offer comparable performance to a diesel reach stacker in terms of capacity and lift and drive speeds, helping to maintain similar productivity levels, and will feature independent traction and hydraulics with different electric motors to serve different functions.

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When combined with the right application and operating intensity, Hyster expects this reach stacker to provide up to two shifts of operation before a hydrogen refuelling is required. It is designed to comply with the standard hydrogen filling station connection (SAE standard), allowing global use. The design includes four hydrogen tanks as a standard option to store hydrogen inside the reach stacker.

Valencia, the first port in Europe to incorporate hydrogen technologies to reduce the environmental impact of its operations.

As part of the H2PORTS programme, the Port of Valencia has had a hydrogen supply station (HRS). It is the only installation capable of supplying the needs of the terminals through the mobile hydrogen generator and the fixed tank that stores this fuel.

In April, the 4×4 truck tractor unit powered by green hydrogen was commissioned to move containers within its terminals, to which is now added this container stacker, which will be tested at the MSC terminal.