FedEx rolls out first hydrogen airport truck

20150406-PlugPower-H2-Station-Memphis-4

FedEx rolls out first hydrogen airport truck

Fuel cell technology is reaching Memphis airport in the US, not on planes but on ground support equipements. Cargo tractors or trucks, to be clear.

Under a $2.5 million grant awarded from the Department of Energy (DOE), FedEx is operating a new kind of hydrogen vehicles, thanks to a partnership with CharlatteAmerica( fuel cell-powered GSEs) and Plug Power Inc (hydrogen fueling station).

The 15 hydrogen fuel cell powered GSE cargo tractors are now part of a fleet of more than 1,500 gas, diesel, and electric cargo tractors at the FedEx World Hub that move an average 20 million pounds, approximately 2 million shipments, every day. The units are fueled by hydrogen, dispensed directly into the fuel cell systems by the truck driver from a 15,000 gallon liquid hydrogen fueling infrastructure located on the airport ramp.

This is not the only project that FedEx has worked on with Plug Power and the Department of Energy. Recently, the delivery company worked with these partners to install and test GenDrive brand hydrogen fuel cells in 35 forklifts at a FedEx Freight facility in Springfield, MO.

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About the author

Picture of Laurent Meillaud

Laurent Meillaud

Freelance automotive journalist and consultant, author as well, focused on technologies and new trends for more than 30 years, convinced that hydrogen is one of the energies for the future.

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