Toyota Material Handling Europe and Plug Power, supply partners of STEF to bring cutting-edge hydrogen forklift and hydrogen fuel cell solutions to two of its cold storage distribution centers, in France and Spain

Focus on the two hydrogen projects 

STEF is incorporating green hydrogen to power its forklift at two of its sites: a transport platform in Athis-Mons close to Paris, France, and a logistics warehouse in Torrejón de Ardoz, near Madrid, Spain. 

The project in France uses green H2 produced with renewable energy and delivered on site.  

In Spain, the H2 is produced on site using an electrolyser - a device that uses electricity to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. The electricity to power the electrolyser is generated by the 2.9 MWp photovoltaic rooftop plant, enabling consumption of green and locally produced Hydrogen. 

The benefits of hydrogen for forklift 

By using hydrogen fuel cell technology, STEF can potentially improve its forklift operator productivity.  

Hydrogen fuel cells offer particularly good performance under STEF's operating conditions (from -18° to +4°): increased operational productivity over a longer period, unlike conventional batteries. 

Hydrogen-powered forklifts can be quickly refilled, in less than 3 minutes, reducing the risk of accidents associated with lead-acid battery change. They also offer more comfort to STEF’s collaborators in trans dock activities. 

On average, a hydrogen fuel cell lasts 10 years, twice as long as traditional batteries. Contributing to reducing the environmental impact across the product lifecycle. 

Hydrogen as an energy carrier and fuel cells as a power solution offer many advantages when it comes to material handling operations and they can support the roadmap to decarbonise material handling operations. 

These two projects are part of STEF's Moving Green climate initiative, one of whose objectives is to use 100% low-carbon energy in their buildings by the end of 2025. 

Toyota provides compatible fuel cell-ready forklifts. 

Toyota Material Handling Europe is a historic supplier of STEF. In Europe, Toyota currently services 6,000 STEF forklifts.  

As part of this joint initiative, Toyota Material Handling Europe will provide STEF with compatible fuel cell-ready forklift models. These forklifts will be tailored to the specific need of STEF's sites. 

They are designed and manufactured with a focus on operator safety and comfort. 

The two projects start off with setting up 48 forklifts in Athis-Mons and 67 foklifts in Torrejón de Ardoz cold store sites.  

Plug Power 

Plug Power (Plug) is a leading provider of comprehensive hydrogen solutions, including fuel cells, electrolyzers, hydrogen production, storage, and refueling infrastructure, designed to enable the global transition to green energy across industries. 

Plug Power is deploying its hydrogen-powered solutions for STEF at two of its cold storage sites: Athis-Mons and Torrejón de Ardoz. With these projects, STEF enters clients community of Plug Power. 

STEF has chosen Plug Power for these two projects that include Plug’s full GenKey ecosystem—hydrogen fuel cells, GenFuel infrastructure, green hydrogen supply, and ongoing service.  

At the Torrejón de Ardoz site, Plug Power has provided an electrolyzer to produce green hydrogen on-site using renewable energy, showcasing the integration of advanced technology into STEF’s logistics strategy. This partnership demonstrates the benefits of Plug’s solutions in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing operational efficiency, and enabling sustainable logistics for the food supply chain.  

This collaboration also expands Plug’s footprint in Europe.