NACCO Materials Handling Group (NMHG) has acquired a leading hydrogen fuel cell company, Nuvera Fuel Cells. The deal reinforces the commitment of Hyster Company and Yale Materials Handling Corporation, operating divisions of NMHG, to provide a broad range of alternative energy solutions to the lift truck market and positions them to become the first OEM manufacturers to integrate and factory-fit fuel cell technology directly into their products.
Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, Nuvera is a leader in the development and production of fuel cell stack subsystems and the supporting on-site hydrogen production and dispensing systems.
Hyster Company and Yale Materials Handling Corporation, which presently offer several alternative energy lift-trucks including battery-electrics and hybrids in addition to their internal combustion engines, intend to commercialize and rapidly integrate this technology across large parts of their lift truck product ranges to offer customers an additional environmentally friendly choice. In addition to factory-fitted power options, Nuvera’s Orion fuel cell stacks are configurable to accommodate aftermarket and retrofit solutions and designed to fit almost any brand electric powered lift truck in the market today.
“Both our Hyster and Yale brands work diligently to develop innovative products that address critical market needs,” said Colin Wilson, president and chief executive officer, NACCO Materials Handling Group. “There is no doubt that our customers want clean, fuel-efficient options in their lift-trucks. This acquisition creates a unique opportunity to develop an integrated solution to optimize performance and energy efficiency. It also allows us to provide full life cycle maintenance, service and fueling requirements to meet the customers’ needs and offer lower total cost of ownership.”
In addition to offering configurable fuel cell stack technology to efficiently meet a wide range of power needs, the acquisition will allow Hyster and Yale to provide commercial grade on-site hydrogen generation and refueling capabilities. Retrofitting and servicing will be provided through Nuvera authorized dealers.
