Crown Equipment to discuss fuel cell forklift deployment at symposium

Crown Equipment Corporation, one of the world’s leading forklift manufacturers, announced that Ernst Baumgartner, fuel cell project manager for Crown Equipment, will be leading a discussion about fuel cell-powered forklift deployment at the 2012 Ohio Fuel Cell Symposium on May 2. Baumgartner’s talk will focus on steps contributing to more widespread adoption of the alternative fuel.

“Crown Equipment has been at the forefront of evaluating hydrogen fuel cell technology, and qualifying and deploying fuel cell-powered forklifts. With our fuel cell forklift program, we have helped take the technology from theoretical scientific research to successful industrial application,” said Baumgartner. “In order for the technology to continue to progress to maturity, it is important that hydrogen fuel cell and lift truck manufacturers work together to develop uniformity and standardization with the technology.”

Sponsored by the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition, the 2012 Ohio Fuel Cell Symposium will be held this week at the John A. Spitzer Conference Center at the Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio. The theme of the event is “Fuel Cell Collaborations, Trends & Applications.” Every year the Ohio Fuel Cell Symposium attracts hundreds of companies, manufacturers, public entities, organizations, research institutions, and technical/community colleges that are doing significant work in the fuel cell industry.

The Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition is a united group of industry, academic and government leaders working collectively to strengthen Ohio’s fuel cell industry and to accelerate the transformation of the region to global leadership in fuel cell technology.

Crown was the first lift truck manufacturer to introduce a fuel cell qualification program that analyzes its electric forklifts for use with fuel cell packs. In September 2011, the company announced that it had built its 500th new forklift to be operated with fuel cells.