The Toro Company has been selected by ATK, an aerospace and defense company, to help design and build two fuel cell powered utility vehicles with hydrogen storage technology.

The project is part of a contract awarded to ATK by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, which is collaborating with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to coordinate hydrogen storage development efforts for the U.S. Department of Energy.

The fuel cell utility vehicles, powered by a solid hydrogen storage system, are scheduled for delivery later this fall to the DLA for a 12-month operational demonstration. During this time, the vehicles will retrieve and transport materials between warehouses with data being collected to better understand the performance, durability and sustainability of the hydrogen fuel cell system.

Shaped by concerns over energy usage and the environment, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires that the U.S. Department of Defense reduce oil consumption rates by 20% before the end of 2015. The energy law also establishes a hydrogen and fuel cell program with a goal of producing commercial fuel cell vehicles and developing hydrogen infrastructure by 2020.

Toro
03.11.2010