Hydrogen Powered Telehandler Concept

This publication compares different drive concepts for hydrogen-powered telehandlers. A simulation study compares the fuel consumption of a conventional telehandler in real-world use with a fuel cell-powered, an H2-ICE-powered and a serial hydrogen-ICE hybrid telehandler. This shows that the fuel cell variant tends to achieve the lowest consumption values. However, the difference is small and strongly dependent on the load collective. In addition to fuel consumption, this publication also considers other aspects regarding the hydrogen concepts. The increased cooling power requirements of a fuel cell concept demand larger radiator surfaces and an operating strategy that takes into account the thermal management. In order to ensure the longest possible machine life, it is important to also consider the degradation of the fuel cell system. These influences lead to a significantly more complex overall concept for the "fuel cell" variant. In addition to the technical aspects, this publication also compares the costs. A current total cost comparison shows that the "H2-ICE serial Hybrid" variant is the most favorable H2 variant. For forecasts in 2030, no significant statement can be made regarding which concept is the most favorable. However, depending on the operating time of the machine, the additional costs of acquisition (especially the "fuel cell system" variant) can be compensated very well in part by the reduced consumption. This results in similar achievable total costs for all variants in 2030.