Airport support equipment

In addition to retailers, Air Canada recently completed the evaluation of a fuel cell forklift and ground support equipment provided by Plug Power and Ballard Power Systems.

The fuel cell forklifts provide an unprecedented 18 hours of runtime instead of the usual 4-6 hours with conventional lead acid batteries. They also allowed for the elimination of the considerable infrastructure required to charge multiple sets of lead-acid batteries.

The project partners are now moving on to a next-generation trial, this time with battery-electric baggage tuggers. Up until now, they have always run on conventional battery power with limitations on runtime and performance. New near-zero emission tow tractors will transport passenger luggage and provide airports with real world operating experience for advancing and improving the newest hi-tech approach to cleaner, sustainable sources of energy.