Doosan Bobcat debuts Korea's first hydrogen-powered forklift

Doosan Bobcat Korea President Park Hyung-won (sixth from right) commemorates Korea's first hydrogen forklift shipment alongside company and government officials at the Doosan Bobcat Incheon forklift factory on Tuesday. (Doosan Bobcat)

Doosan Bobcat, a South Korean compact equipment manufacturer, has commercialized the country's first hydrogen-powered forklift.

The development was marked by a first shipment ceremony on Tuesday at the company's Incheon forklift plant. Korea Zinc, which operates the world's largest zinc smelter, is set to be the first customer for the forklift, in alignment with their 2050 decarbonization goals under the RE100 initiative.

The 3-ton model hydrogen forklift, equipped with a 20-kW fuel cell, is capable of lifting about six average-sized zinc ingots- standardized blocks of refined zinc- while providing robust power. It is scheduled for testing at the Construction Equipment Safety and Technology Research Institute under South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy before delivery.

Doosan Bobcat is also participating in a government pilot project to develop reliable verification technology for hydrogen forklifts. This effort includes partnerships with various companies and local governments to increase industrywide hydrogen forklift utilization.

Looking forward, Doosan Bobcat plans to broaden its hydrogen-powered equipment range. After certifying a 10-kilowatt fuel cell model this year, they aim to deploy 30 hydrogen forklifts and expand to 2-ton and 5-ton models.

By Moon Joon-hyun(mjh@heraldcorp.com)