Prélodis, logistics provider of fruits and vegetables, has opened a 10,000 m² distribution center in Saint-Cyr-en-Val near Orleans. The site, which aims to support the strong growth of the distributor in the north and west of France, has another peculiarity: it was designed to work with the carriages (frontal and trucks) powered by hydrogen.

In this new building, there is no battery charge room, but instead a hydrogen filling dispenser that refuels the fuel cells in record time. While other sites have comparable carts, Prélodis is the only one in Europe to use only this technology. This project required more than 18 months of study in close collaboration with the manufacturer Jungheinrich who provided the 35 carriages to the park. “We were motivated by potential cost savings, ease of use, lack of battery charge room and also the enthusiasm to open a new site with innovative technology,” said Philippe Giroux, President of Prélodis.

A passion shared by Alexander Abe, President of Jungheinrich France, which, in general, wants to respond to all the requests on energy: “As a manufacturer we are also an energy supplier. This is the case with conventional batteries, lithium-ion energy accumulators or fuel cells. Today almost all of our trucks can be equipped with this technology, even if it is currently in very specific conditions of use. ” Indeed, for this investment to be profitable, you need a large fleet of trucks daily subjected to intensive activity (eg 3×8), which then avoids many battery changes and save time in the execution of operations.

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