Zero CO₂ challenge focusing on logistics through the multi-purpose development of fuel-cell unit

TOYOTA INDUSTRIES CORPORATION

Outline

Toyota Industries Corporation strives to develop technologies for the realization of a Zero CO₂ emission society in order to contribute to making the earth a better place to live, enrich lifestyles, and promote a compassionate society through corporate activities. One of them is promotion of hydrogen utilization.

Fuel-cell lift truck is excellent in both of environmental performance and convenience. It emits no carbon dioxide and other substances of concern during operation, and can be refueled with hydrogen gas within a few minutes. In addition, it is standardly equipped with a power outlet so that it can be used as a power supply in case of emergency.

The fuel-cell unit that is a power source equipped in the fuel-cell lift truck can be diverted for other applications. By promoting the diversification, we try to create a network with complex bases and hubs for both physical distribution and hydrogen utilization at factories, warehouses, wholesale markets, airports, seaports and all that. We believe that it must make a substantial contribution to the Zero CO₂ challenge.

Description

The first fuel-cell lift truck (2.5-ton type) in Japan was put on sale in November 2016, as the result of our development activities through some development and demonstration projects subsidized by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of the Environment (MoE). And then, it was followed by a smaller one (1.8-ton type) released in September 2019. As of the end of March 2020, the cumulative total number of lift truck introduced in the domestic market has reached about 250. In addition to the lift truck, we have developed a fuel-cell powered model of towing tractor that works to transport cargos at airports and already started testing operation since February 2020 in Central Japan International Airport.

In order to promote low carbonation and carbon dioxide emission reduction in the field of transportation and logistics, it must be crucial to construct a broad network of hydrogen utilization with industrial vehicles, such as lift truck and towing tractor, trains, marine vessels and other vehicles in addition to passenger vehicles, buses and trucks. In line with Japan’s Basic Hydrogen Strategy, we have worked actively with a central focus on fuel-cell lift truck in the logistics field to contribute to realizing a hydrogen society.

Fuel-cell lift truck is excellent in both of environmental performance and convenience. It emits no environmental load gas such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide during operation, and can be refueled with hydrogen gas within a few minutes. In addition, it is standardly equipped with an AC100V power outlet so that it can be useful as a mobile power supply vehicle. Therefore, it not only contributes to achieving zero emission, but also will be beneficial as an emergency power source in the terms of BCP in our country that suffers natural disasters.

And, the fuel-cell unit that is a power source equipped in the fuel-cell lift truck has a characteristic feature that the unit contains all the functional components in one package. It is relatively easy to be diverted for other applications by changing its size and layout, while it can be worked as a stand-alone power generator as it is. By making the best use of this feature, we will promote diversification of fuel-cell applications to create complex bases and hubs for both physical distribution and hydrogen utilization at factories, warehouses, wholesale markets, airports, seaports and all that. We believe that constructing a broad network of goods and energy with the bases and hubs as the starting points must make a substantial contribution to the Zero CO₂ challenge in the field of logistics.