Carmaker BMW has opted for hydrogen over batteries for the Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) that help run its marquee Leipzig assembly plant.
The decision follows a three-year trial where both battery and hydrogen fuel cell AGVs were tested on site, moving components and materials around the factory. According to BMW, hydrogen improved uptime and reliability, with the vehicles able to refuel in seconds. Ultimately, this allowed BMW to reduce the number of AGVs needed to service the plant, improving efficiency.
“The fuel cell AGVs proved their value during the trial, particularly in overcoming the recharging downtime that limits battery systems,” said Dr Stefan Fenchel, project lead, Sustainability, BMW Group Plant Leipzig.
“By removing this constraint, we now have a more flexible fleet that we have been able to reduce in size by 20 per cent – a clear gain in efficiency.”
Built in 2005, BMW Leipzig is claimed to be one of the world’s most advanced car production plants, employing 6,800 people and producing about 1,300 cars each day. The facility will operate 130 AGVs designed in partnership with Austrian firm DS Automotion, with fuel cells provided by the UK’s Intelligent Energy. Fifty units are already in service, with the remainder expected to join the fleet within six months.
The AGVs are the first to be designed from the ground up around Intelligent Energy’s proprietary IE-POWER fuel cell system. Powered by green hydrogen, the vehicles can not only be refuelled significantly quicker than battery counterparts, they also run for longer, giving a clear performance advantage.
“The three-year trial with BMW is the most comprehensive case study yet for our hydrogen fuel cells in an AGV application and the results speak for themselves,” said David Fields, head of IE-POWER Stationary and Standby Power Solutions at Intelligent Energy.
“Fuel cells are well suited to material handling and intralogistics, where uptime and reliability are critical. BMW’s decision to adopt a purpose-built hydrogen fleet powered by our systems at one of the world’s most advanced car plants is a strong endorsement of their efficiency, reliability and performance.”
