For the project, EERE and BMW developed and tested multiple tanks with catalysts for removing contaminants, purging the gas stream of all other molecules to isolate hydrogen that is clean enough to be used in fuel cells. The Greer, South Carolina BMW plant already uses more than 300 fuel cell powered forklifts for daily operations, which include manufacturing 300,000 cars each year. Now the project team has proved that converting landfill gas to hydrogen to power the forklifts is good for the company’s bottom line.
Not only are fuel cells better for the environment than traditional vehicle fuel, but they also have practical advantages over the lead-acid batteries that are typically used in forklifts. They can be refueled in less than three minutes, which is faster, less labor intensive, and takes up much less space than changing or recharging batteries. Another problem with batteries is they get less powerful near the end of their lives. Fuel cells, on the other hand, provide consistent power until they run out of hydrogen. Furthermore, recharging batteries requires quite a bit of electricity, and switching to fuel cell forklifts has saved BMW 1.8 million kilowatt hours of electricity consumption per year.
The South Carolina factory is already home to the largest fuel cell powered forklift fleet in the world, with more than 300 units. It will need even more power next year, since BMW recently announced a $1 billion expansion plan that will make it the company’s largest plant in the world.
