Tuesday 4 August 2020

Asda signs deal to power supply chain lift trucks with hydrogen fuel cells

Plug Power has signed a deal to provide Asda with hydrogen fuel cell solutions to power lift trucks within the supermarket giant’s supply chain.

The provider of zero emission hydrogen engines and fuelling solutions says the move represents the first deployment at scale of hydrogen fuel cell technology for material handling within the UK and says it will make Asda's operations more environmentally-friendly by reducing reliance on traditional lead-acid batteries.

Asda is committed to meeting its target to removing one billion tonnes of emissions globally as part of Project Gigaton, with 179 of its suppliers having already saved 29 million metric tonnes of emissions through the pledge.

Fuel cell-powered logistics equipment eliminates the downtime required for battery charging and changing and frees up space by removing the need for multiple batteries per truck.

Darren Pettener, General Manager of the Asda Skelmersdale Distribution Centre, said: “We’ve seen firsthand what a difference hydrogen fuel cell adoption has made for our parent company.

"There are good reasons why Walmart, which has been a leader in supply chain innovation for decades, has chosen to build the largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric vehicles in the world. We’re eager to realize the proven environmental and productivity benefits of fuel cell adoption in our operations at Asda."

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