US start up Oorja Protonics has emerged from stealth mode with a methanol fuel cell pack designed for forklifts and other small lift-and-load vehicles.

The company claims its new methanol fuel cells are over ten times more powerful than current versions of the technology and are a far more commercially viable alternative hydrogen fuels cells, which it claims are hampered by the high price of compressed hydrogen gas, lack of hydrogen supply infrastructure, and hydrogen’s inherent volatility as a fuel source.

Oorja claims that liquid methanol, which can be produced from natural gas and from land fill gases and bio-waste, is a better alternative for many fuel cell applications as it is cheaper and more readily available.

The company will initially focus on delivering its OorjaPac cell to the forklift market, where it claims it has the potential to reduce demand for conventional acid-based batteries and cut emissions of carbon dioxide, as well as other pollutants such as CO, NOx, SOx.

The fuel cell also provides operational benefits for warehouse operators as it makes it possible to use vehicles across multiple shifts without changing batteries.

The firm's OorjaPac unit trickle charges a conventional forklift battery so that it doesn't have to be changed, explained founder and CEO Sanjiv Malhotra. A traditional forklift will operate on a six to eight hour shift, and will generally have to have its battery replaced every four to five hours. The replacement process is difficult because of the weight of the batteries, which means that hoists have to be used to swap them and keep the forklift running.

The fuel cell, which has no moving parts and which can be refueled in two minutes, can power a forklift across two or three shifts, reducing the cost associated with mid-shift swap-outs.

"By solving that problem we make them fully grid-independent," says Malhotra. "The result is a significant capital saving. They can save on additional equipment, such as extra batteries, and chargers."

The company hopes to produce roughly 200 of the fuel cells per quarter, said Malhotra, who added that the company is already selling the units to New United Motor Manufacturing, a joint manufacturing facility shared by General Motors and Toyota (NUMMI). He is not currently disclosing the price of the fuel cells.