The ground support vehicles were built by Charlatte America and operate using Plug Power’s ProGen hydrogen engines. The ProGen powered tuggers are in operation at the Albany International Airport transporting FedEx packages from the sorting facility to delivery airplanes. Performance and reliability data has been collected during cold winter months, where temperatures can drop as low as negative ten degrees Fahrenheit. The Charlatte America electric GSE vehicles require less maintenance than internal combustion-powered equipment and are designed to support the ongoing market trend to electrification of mobility.
The addition of Plug Power’s ProGen hydrogen fuel cell technology enables the cargo tuggers to tow up to 40,000 pounds without stopping for up to four hours and only requires three to four minutes for refueling. This zero-emission vehicle also operates with a high energy efficiency of around 45%. The wear and tear on the vehicles is lower, reducing maintenance demands such as oil changes, brakes and starter replacements. As a result, these vehicles reduce operational costs while increasing productivity.
Plug Power built one of the first hydrogen fueling stations on the East Coast, at its headquarters in Latham, NY. The FedEx vehicles are refueled and serviced at the Plug Power fueling station, which has been used to refuel the first FedEx delivery van since its launch in January.
The Department of Energy’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy supports early stage R&D that enables progress in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, and has collaborated with Plug Power, FedEx, and Charlatte on this work.
