Linde reaches new milestone with hydrogen fuel system in South Carolina

Linde technology has played a major role in a fueling station located in BMW’s South Carolina facility

Linde, a leading chemical producer, has announced that it has reached a major milestone with its hydrogen fuel technology in South Carolina. The company’s technology is at work at the a BMW manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where numerous materials handling vehicles have been equipped with fuel cells. BMW operates more than 350 forklifts to manage the facility’s production and logistics function. This represents one of the largest hydrogen-powered forklift fleets in the world.

More than 1 million fillings have been recorded at the BMW facility

According to Linde, the hydrogen fuel system operating at the facility has surpassed 1 million fillings. The company suggests that this represents the most fillings that have been recorded at a single location anywhere in the world. Linde has developed very sophisticated technology, but the fueling process is still relatively simple. The forklift trucks operating at the facility can be fueled in a matter of minutes. This means that forklifts can get back to work much more quickly, as they do not have to be charged for several hours at a time.

Fuel cells continue to grow in popularity

Fuel cells have become quite popular in the materials handling space. Many companies are beginning to use these energy systems in order to become more efficient, as fuel cells can operate for longer periods than traditional batteries and do not require long charging times. These vehicles must, of course, have infrastructure support in order to be useful to companies.

Hydrogen fuel infrastructure is needed in order for fuel cells to continue seeing success

Linde, as well as other companies, have been working to make hydrogen fuel more available throughout the world. While hydrogen may be the most abundant known element, most of the world lacks the infrastructure needed to make this form of energy reliably available. Linde has invested heavily in the development of this infrastructure, as it will not only benefit the materials handling space, but the auto industry and various other sectors as well.