NEW BREMEN, OHIO: Crown Equipment Corp., one of the world's biggest manufacturers of powered lift trucks, is working with fuel cell power pack makers to adapt the trucks so that they can be powered by fuel cells that would help commercial customers save time, money and warehouse space.

Crown and other lift truck manufacturers are vying to respond to customer demands for trucks that can run on either the fuel cells or traditional on-board power sources, including lead-acid batteries.

The state of Ohio, supporting development of the fuel cell industry, is a backer of Crown's research. In March, the Ohio Department of Development announced $8.9 million in grants for fuel cell research projects, including $977,270 for Crown's two-year program to qualify lift trucks for use of fuel cells as battery replacements. Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with heat and water as the byproducts.

Crown is working with four suppliers of fuel cells to test the cells with the trucks. Crown committed to spend at least $750,000 of its own money on the project, and that commitment could ultimately increase, said Eric Jensen, Crown's manager of new technology research and development, who is overseeing the project.

The company is also working with the Industrial Truck Association, a trade organization that develops operating standards for the trucks.

''We hope to supply them with information based on actual experience,'' Jensen said.

Industries that buy the lift trucks for moving loads in warehouses and other locations are attracted to fuel cell-powered trucks because they can be refueled in two or three minutes, compared with 30 minutes to change out a depleted battery. A fuel cell operation would conserve warehouse space because it doesn't need as much room as a servicing area for the commonly used batteries, and fuel cell operations would be environmentally cleaner, Jensen said.

The lift trucks are heavily relied upon, and frequently use up a power source within an operator's eight-hour shift. Since the operators are typically paid on the basis of productivity, they don't want a lot of idle time waiting for a new power charge, Jensen said.