The Port of Tilbury has partnered with Hyster and Briggs Equipment to introduce a hydrogen fuel cell-powered reachstacker. This machinery uses Nuvera fuel cells to convert hydrogen into electricity, reducing reliance on diesel for heavy lifting operations in the port.
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One machine is a start, but the real question is the refueling infrastructure. Is Tilbury building a dedicated H2 station or relying on third party delivery? The logistics of fuel supply usually make or break these pilots.
It depends on the subsidies. If they are getting a green procurement credit or a specific UK decarbonization grant, the infrastructure cost is easier to swallow. Without a clear policy incentive, the OpEx on hydrogen is still too high compared to diesel.
Interested to see the maintenance cycle on these Nuvera cells in a salty, humid port environment. Corrosion and particulate matter can kill fuel cell efficiency quickly. I want to see the actual uptime data after a year.
Hyster is pushing H2 for the heavy stuff where batteries are too heavy or take too long to charge. Good to see a real world test at Tilbury, though we need to know if this is green hydrogen or just grey.
