Hydrogen Tow Tractors For Hamburg Airport

Plug Power Inc., Latham, N.Y., a provider of hydrogen engines and fueling solutions, said it has partnered with German specialty vehicle manufacturer Mulag to bring a new generation of hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric cargo tow tractors to Germany’s Hamburg Airport.

To kick off the initiative, the two companies joined forces to build a fuel cell-powered vehicle, which ran alongside the airport’s existing ground support equipment (GSE) fleet for a period of evaluation and service testing and concluded successfully.

The vehicle produced by the partnership was built by Mulag and operates using Plug Power’s ProGen hydrogen engine. Plug Power will now provide Hamburg Airport with 60 additional units to power their baggage-towing fleet along with permanent hydrogen stations for consistent and efficient refueling.

The partnership with Mulag follows on the heels of a similar partnership launched earlier this year in collaboration with FedEx and battery-powered GSE manufacturer Charlatte America at New York’s Albany International Airport. Plug Power said it is working with other European airport operators to install similar fuel cell electric vehicles.

Plug Power said its ProGen hydrogen fuel cell technology allows GSE vehicles like cargo tow tractors to tow up to 40,000 pounds without stopping for up to four hours, while only requiring three to four minutes for refueling.