Amazon's sustainability push now includes on-site hydrogen production to fuel forklifs

[midian182]

In context: Amazon's push to go green is continuing with the use of hydrogen fuel. The retail giant will be producing the fuel at its fulfillment centers, as opposed to having it transported to the locations, where it will be used to power the facilities' forklift trucks.

Amazon says it partnered with hydrogen company Plug Power to install the first electrolyzer, a piece of equipment that can split water molecules to produce hydrogen, at a fulfillment center in Aurora, Colorado.

Amazon writes that the one-megawatt proton exchange membrane electrolyzer is producing low-carbon hydrogen to fuel more than 225 hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklift trucks at the site, though the device can support up to 400 of the vehicles.

The hydrogen produced by the electrolyzer (below) will be compressed on site and stored in a gaseous hydrogen storage tank for use by the forklift trucks, Amazon explained.

Plug's collaboration with Amazon has already resulted in the deployment of more than 17,000 fuel cells to replace batteries in forklifts across more than 80 fulfillment centres in North America. In most cases, the hydrogen to power the forklifts is produced elsewhere and delivered by trucks to an on-site storage/dispensing system. Producing the fuel at the facility removes the need to transport it.

Amazon is pushing its partnership with Plug as a major element in its efforts to reach net-zero carbon by 2040. Back in June, Amazon workers around the globe took part in a walkout to protest its controversial return-to-office mandate, the massive number of layoffs, and their displeasure at Amazon's impact on the environment. Workers stated that the firm was failing to meet its self-imposed goals of reaching zero emissions by the end of the next decade. Amazon's global fleet of transportation vehicles, which includes planes, has a huge carbon footprint.

The Verge writes that hydrogen produces water vapor during combustion, but making it usually requires the use of fossil fuels. This is mostly achieved through a reaction between steam and methane, a process that releases carbon dioxide.

Plug's electrolyzers use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, rather than using methane. If this method uses electricity generated by renewable sources, it's called green hydrogen. But the electrolyzer is plugged into the power grid, meaning that some of the electricity it uses still comes from fossil fuels.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/101355-amazon-dives-hydrogen-fuel-powers-forklifts-innovative-site.html

 

[maxxcool7421]

Lets be clear this PoS scumbag company run by bald bucket of rotting chum does not give 2 craps about emissions.... just the tax credits for meeting ''net zero''

seriously hope someday Bezos can Oceangate himself

 

[erickmendes]

The world need some more titanic tour runs.

 

[MakeMSGreatAgain]

I love the idea of hydrogen.... but lets think about what is its real advantage. Quick refuel times and energy density. Neither of these qualities would seem to be a requirement for forklifts. What is wrong with battery forklifts? Furthermore if Amazon had solar panels powering its warehouses then this would other than the production of the panels be free and green energy. But they don't, and this just doesn't seem like a great use of resources.

I really like on site production of hydrogen fuel as well, but it seems more like something that should be at a refueling station at an airport and on the side of the motorway so we can quickly refuel aircraft and trucks that use the fuel. Using it for some measly forklifts seems like a waste.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I love the idea of hydrogen.... but lets think about what is its real advantage. Quick refuel times and energy density. Neither of these qualities would seem to be a requirement for forklifts. What is wrong with battery forklifts? Furthermore if Amazon had solar panels powering its warehouses then this would other than the production of the panels be free and green energy. But they don't, and this just doesn't seem like a great use of resources.

I really like on site production of hydrogen fuel as well, but it seems more like something that should be at a refueling station at an airport and on the side of the motorway so we can quickly refuel aircraft and trucks that use the fuel. Using it for some measly forklifts seems like a waste.

So lets think about this. Maybe there's a REASON amazon didnt use electric forklifts? Like, I dont know, the fact their warehouses run 24/7? So, if your warehouse needs 100 forklifts available, this means you will need 200 EV forklifts because of charging time. And a place to store the spare 100 while charging. And those solar panels cant charge a EV forklift at night, or during bad weather, since they are not magic. Or maybe its weight. EV forklifts typically max out at 12000 lbs, whereas alternative fuel forklifts can easily push 36000 lbs and specialty models go up to 70000 lbs.

Electric forklifts ARE cheaper per unit, at 25-50k vs 50-100k, but if you need twice as many the point is moot. Just a thought, the engineers of the multi billion dollar shipping company probably thought of all this ahead of time. EVs are not a panacea for all operations. The fact that multiple companies are developing hydrogen forklifts should tell you that there is clearly demand for a more capable non EV solution.

Lets be clear this PoS scumbag company run by bald bucket of rotting chum does not give 2 craps about emissions.... just the tax credits for meeting ''net zero''

seriously hope someday Bezos can Oceangate himself

The world need some more titanic tour runs.

You guys need to go outside and touch grass. Maybe just dont use amazon instead of getting strangely violent in your fantasies?

 

[MakeMSGreatAgain]

So lets think about this. Maybe there's a REASON amazon didnt use electric forklifts? Like, I dont know, the fact their warehouses run 24/7? So, if your warehouse needs 100 forklifts available, this means you will need 200 EV forklifts because of charging time. And a place to store the spare 100 while charging. And those solar panels cant charge a EV forklift at night, or during bad weather, since they are not magic. Or maybe its weight. EV forklifts typically max out at 12000 lbs, whereas alternative fuel forklifts can easily push 36000 lbs and specialty models go up to 70000 lbs.

Electric forklifts ARE cheaper per unit, at 25-50k vs 50-100k, but if you need twice as many the point is moot. Just a thought, the engineers of the multi billion dollar shipping company probably thought of all this ahead of time. EVs are not a panacea for all operations. The fact that multiple companies are developing hydrogen forklifts should tell you that there is clearly demand for a more capable non EV solution.

I actually think hydrogen EV's will win over battery EV's eventually. Anyway, you raise a few more points I hadn't considered with the exception of charging time. That has gotten better with the newer tech and they can probably charge in 1/3 or even 1/4th the time that they will actually need to be in operation. I'll admit though, I'm guessing.

With that said we all know just because a huge entity spends loads of thought on doing something doesn't always mean it was actually the best solution. Sometimes they find out later it wasn't, often for a variety of reasons. I don't think Amazon would be an exception here...

I honestly hope it works out well for them, because that means it will help prove the practicality of on-site hydrogen production, work out bugs and challenges, and solidify the tech and processes involved. If done right, these could get to the point where other than getting water and electricity to the electrolyzer they are completely self sustaining. I really would like to see this tech at consumer fuel stations.

I also don't see an issue with hybrid battery & hydrogen EV's similar to how we have gasoline and battery hybrids now. I think we'll start seeing this at some point in sports cars (term used loosely) as the one downside of hydrogen fuel cells is you can't get large lumps of energy out of them quickly.

 

[WhiteLeaff]

So lets think about this. Maybe there's a REASON amazon didnt use electric forklifts? Like, I dont know, the fact their warehouses run 24/7? So, if your warehouse needs 100 forklifts available, this means you will need 200 EV forklifts because of charging time. And a place to store the spare 100 while charging. And those solar panels cant charge a EV forklift at night, or during bad weather, since they are not magic. Or maybe its weight. EV forklifts typically max out at 12000 lbs, whereas alternative fuel forklifts can easily push 36000 lbs and specialty models go up to 70000 lbs.

Electric forklifts ARE cheaper per unit, at 25-50k vs 50-100k, but if you need twice as many the point is moot. Just a thought, the engineers of the multi billion dollar shipping company probably thought of all this ahead of time. EVs are not a panacea for all operations. The fact that multiple companies are developing hydrogen forklifts should tell you that there is clearly demand for a more capable non EV solution.


You guys need to go outside and touch grass. Maybe just dont use amazon instead of getting strangely violent in your fantasies?

Oh, unless you adopt the battery swap system instead...

 

[kpkpkp]

What the hell is "low-carbon hydrogen"?
Do you mean "hydrogen"?

 

[erickmendes]

You guys need to go outside and touch grass. Maybe just dont use amazon instead of getting strangely violent in your fantasies?

It was just a joke man lol
Happy New Year!

 

[MakeMSGreatAgain]

What the hell is "low-carbon hydrogen"?
Do you mean "hydrogen"?

I think they mean the production process being low-carbon, like the electricity coming from solar or wind turbines. There was carbon, to create the solar panel and wind turbines, ship and install them... but once they are installed and in use there is no longer carbon being put in the atmosphere to get the electricity. Of course some maintenance may be required, and thus likely more carbon pumped out to do that maintenance. However it is all still considerably less than burning coal or gas constantly to make the electricity.