Computer simulation of 5-9 tonne fork lift truck
HyTrEc2 aims to address market failures within the hydrogen transport market. One form of failure which HyTrEc2 has made huge strides towards correcting relates to the diversity of vehicles supplied. The project is equipping and testing new types of vehicles not currently commercially available with fuel cells, range extenders or dual fuel systems. These tests are crucial to improve performance and make the cost reduction needed to create a vehicle market. The vehicles include large trucks, refuse collection lorries and large forklift trucks. These vehicles are in different development stages which means different approaches to research have to be adopted. Currently, there are no versions of heavy fork lifts (5-9 tonnes), even as prototypes and much work still has to be done in their design. Due to this it was decided that a computer simulation is the most realistic research approach for HyTrEc2 to adopt.
HyTrEc2 recognised the gap in the market that exists for Hydrogen based heavy duty forklifts. A report was orchestrated by HyTrEc2 partner RISE, which used computer software to simulate a working day for a 5-9 tonne forklift. The computer modelling looked at factors such as size of the fuel cell and battery etc. in order to understand any specific requirements which need to be accommodated for in a 5-9 tonne Hydrogen forklift's design. The findings of the modelling prove that Hydrogen could be a hugely beneficial fuel for the heavy forklift industry, as it offers the possibility of productivity trebling. The results will be disseminated around interested manufacturers and researchers to be solidified.
The report can be found here and within the deliverables documents.