STEF Group, European leader in transport and logistics services for temperature-controlled food products, has recently launched two H₂ projects with Toyota Material Handling Europe, a supplier of H₂ fuel cell material handling equipment, and Plug Power, a provider of end-to-end green H₂ solutions. The two projects are located in Athis-Mons, France and Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain. This initiative marks a significant step towards developing a comprehensive H₂ ecosystem that integrates H₂ production and H₂-powered material handling equipment.

Focus on the two H₂ projects. STEF is incorporating green H₂ to power its forklift at two of its sites: a transport platform in Athis-Mons close to Paris, France, and a logistics warehouse in Torrejón de Ardoz, near Madrid, Spain.

The project in France uses green H₂ produced with renewable energy and delivered on site.

In Spain, the H₂ is produced on site using an electrolyzer - a device that uses electricity to separate water into H₂ and oxygen. The electricity to power the electrolyzer is generated by the 2.9 MWp photovoltaic rooftop plant, enabling consumption of green and locally produced H₂.

The benefits of H₂ for forklift. By using H₂ fuel cell technology, STEF can potentially improve its forklift operator productivity.

H₂ fuel cells offer particularly good performance under STEF's operating conditions (from -18° to +4°): increased operational productivity over a longer period, unlike conventional batteries.

H₂-powered forklifts can be quickly refilled, in less than 3 minutes, reducing the risk of accidents associated with lead-acid battery change. They also offer more comfort to STEF’s collaborators in trans dock activities.

On average, a H₂ fuel cell lasts 10 years, twice as long as traditional batteries. Contributing to reducing the environmental impact across the product lifecycle.

H₂ as an energy carrier and fuel cells as a power solution offer many advantages when it comes to material handling operations, and they can support the roadmap to decarbonize material handling operations.

These two projects are part of STEF's Moving Green climate initiative, one of whose objectives is to use 100% low-carbon energy in their buildings by the end of 2025.

Toyota provides compatible fuel cell-ready forklifts. Toyota Material Handling Europe is a historic supplier of STEF. In Europe, Toyota currently services 6,000 STEF forklifts.

As part of this joint initiative, Toyota Material Handling Europe will provide STEF with compatible fuel cell-ready forklift models. These forklifts will be tailored to the specific need of STEF's sites.

They are designed and manufactured with a focus on operator safety and comfort.

The two projects start off with setting up 48 forklifts in Athis-Mons and 67 forklifts in Torrejón de Ardoz cold store sites.