Crown Equipment Corporation has announced in the US that it has built its 500th new forklift to be operated with fuel cells. The number is in addition to the Crown forklifts already in operation that have been retrofitted during the last few years to accommodate fuel cells.

A Crown SR 5000 Series moving-mast reach truck was the 500th truck to be built with a fuel cell. The Crown SR 5000 is the latest forklift to be qualified as part of Crown's fuel cell qualification programme for its line of electric forklifts.

To date, Crown has qualified more than 20 of its electric forklift models to operate with various fuel cells, offering 29 qualified combinations of fuel cell packs and lift trucks.

"An increasing number of our customers are considering fuel cell-powered forklifts as a viable option. They are coming to us with questions and asking for help determining if and how this technology can be integrated into their fleets and facilities," said Ernst Baumgartner, Crown's fuel cell project manager. "Crown continues to work closely with fuel cell manufacturers to guide the evolution of the technology and increase levels of fuel cell integration with lift trucks."