​S. Korea demonstrates hydrogen fuel cell-powered industrial equipment

By Park Sae-jin Posted : March 15, 2021, 17:07 Updated : March 15, 2021, 17:08

[Courtesy of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups]

SEOUL -- South Korea will demonstrate hydrogen fuel cell-powered industrial equipment including forklifts and unmanned loaders at a regulation-free industrial complex in the southern port of Ulsan. New industrial machines have the potential of increasing work efficiency at logistics warehouses and indoor facilities.

Ulsan was selected as South Korea's testing ground for hydrogen-powered mobility services in 2019. The port city produces about 820,000 tons of hydrogen annually. Companies and research organizations are operating research centers and testing grounds for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and other equipment that uses fuel cells as the main source of power.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said in a statement on March 15 that it would work with Ulsan City to demonstrate four fuel cell-powered forklifts and one unmanned loader, which are small enough to be operated inside logistics warehouses and indoor working environments. A mobile hydrogen charging station is under development.

"Through the demonstration, we expect the commercialization of fuel cell-powered indoor loading equipment to be accelerated as work efficiency and inconveniences at workplaces will be improved greatly," minister Kwon Chil-seung was quoted as saying. The power efficiency of current electric machines used at industrial sites is very low compared to the time required for charging. Demonstrated fuel-cell equipment only requires five minutes to charge and can operate for six hours nonstop.



 
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