Knowledge
UK’s first hydrogen fuel-cell reach stacker enters service at the Port of Tilbury
The Port of Tilbury has put the UK’s first hydrogen fuel-cell-powered reach stacker into operational service. Supplied by Hyster with Briggs Equipment UK, the 46-tonne machine entered a real-world container-handling operation in Essex on 17 September 2026. It combines a 60 kW Nuvera fuel-cell engine, a 130 kWh lithium-ion battery and high-pressure hydrogen storage for intensive port work. [1]
The deployment is a pre-production trial rather than the launch of a standard production model. Its purpose is to assess hydrogen fuel-cell power in the operating conditions faced by a working container terminal, including repeated lifting, positioning and transport tasks. Hyster says the machine is intended to operate entirely on green hydrogen and to provide performance and robustness comparable with an internal-combustion-engine-powered reach stacker while eliminating tailpipe emissions. [1]
The machine is being tested in live container-handling work
Hyster identifies the machine as an RSJ46-33XDH/62. The reach stacker is designed to handle containers up to five high, making it suitable for demanding storage and transfer duties at a port. [2] The equipment is being evaluated in the same type of high-utilisation environment in which diesel-powered heavy trucks have traditionally been used.
That operating context is important for fleet and procurement managers. A reach stacker must repeatedly accelerate, travel, lift, position and lower heavy containers, often across long shifts. A powertrain that performs well during a demonstration may still face different challenges when it is exposed to continuous traffic, changing loads, operator variation, restricted refuelling windows and normal maintenance requirements.
The Port of Tilbury, Hyster and Briggs Equipment have worked together on the project for two years, according to the port’s head of engineering and procurement. [1] The collaboration covers more than the vehicle itself: it brings together equipment development, hydrogen supply, refuelling infrastructure, service support and operational evaluation at one site.
The project also draws on previous development work. Hyster and Nuvera used experience from earlier pilot programmes, including a hydrogen fuel-cell reach stacker trial in Valencia that concluded in 2025, to optimise and right-size the fuel-cell system for the Tilbury application. [1] Forkliftaction News reports that the Valencia pilot took place in 2024. [2]
The fuel cell supplies energy while the battery manages changing demand
The Tilbury reach stacker does not rely on a fuel cell alone. The 60 kW fuel-cell engine converts hydrogen into electricity, while a 130 kWh lithium-ion battery supports the vehicle’s electrical system. [1] This arrangement allows the fuel-cell system to generate electricity while hydrogen is available and gives the battery a role in buffering changing power requirements during operation.
Reach-stacker duty cycles are not uniform. Lifting, lowering, travelling and positioning can create different demands over the course of a container move. A battery buffer can help accommodate these fluctuations while the fuel-cell system supplies electricity from hydrogen. Hyster also states that the machine uses the standardised software architecture found across its other electric products. [1] The available project information does not specify the control strategy, peak electric output, charging profile or detailed energy-management functions, so these figures should not be inferred from the rated fuel-cell and battery capacities.
Hydrogen is stored in high-pressure tanks with a total capacity of 32 kg. Hyster says this is designed to support long operating periods and productivity across a full 12-hour shift. [1] The announcement presents that duration as an intended operating target rather than a published shift-by-shift validation result. Actual availability will depend on duty intensity, payload, weather, hydrogen consumption, refuelling access and the procedures used by the terminal.
Refuelling infrastructure is part of the trial
Hyster states that the reach stacker can be refuelled in less than 30 minutes. [1] For high-utilisation equipment, that time is a central part of the hydrogen business case. A short refuelling stop may reduce the need for long charging periods, spare machines or battery-swapping arrangements, provided the site has sufficient hydrogen production, storage and dispensing capacity.
At Tilbury, the fuel supply system is being developed alongside the vehicle. The reach stacker is intended to use green hydrogen produced by GeoPura with an electrolyser, supported by on-site production, supply and refuelling infrastructure for the trial. [1] Forth Ports announced in March 2026 that GeoPura and Forth Ports had agreed to develop an initial 1 MW low-carbon hydrogen production plant at Tilbury. The planned electrolysis process is intended to use electricity from on-site solar panels.
This approach allows the project to assess the complete operating system rather than the reach stacker in isolation. Vehicle performance depends on the availability, pressure, purity and logistics of the fuel as well as on the powertrain. For port operators, the practical question is therefore whether hydrogen can be supplied consistently at the required pressure and within the site’s safety and traffic-management arrangements.
The emissions estimate is tied to a diesel baseline
Hyster expects the reach stacker to help the Port of Tilbury demonstrate a reduction of more than 107,000 kg of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent to 79,600 lb. The calculation is based on replacing 40,000 litres of annual diesel consumption, an average of 2,500 operating hours per year and a tank-to-wheel emissions factor of 2.68 kg of carbon dioxide per litre of diesel. [1]
This figure is a projected comparison, not a measured result from the completed trial. It represents the emissions associated with the stated diesel baseline. The actual climate benefit will also depend on how the hydrogen is produced, the electricity used by the electrolyser, compression and storage requirements, and the wider lifecycle impacts of the equipment and infrastructure. The project announcement does not provide a full lifecycle assessment.
A fuel-cell machine operating on hydrogen does not produce tailpipe carbon dioxide during normal operation. That local emissions profile may be relevant where operators and other personnel work close to mobile plant. However, the available sources do not quantify changes in local air quality at Tilbury or provide measured data on noise, hydrogen consumption or total operating emissions.
Specialist maintenance support accompanies the vehicle
Briggs Equipment UK will provide frontline service and maintenance support, drawing on its existing relationship with the Port of Tilbury. Hyster will provide additional factory support through its Hypercare programme, while Hyster specialists will work with Briggs and port personnel on the fuel-cell and high-voltage systems. [1]
This support structure is relevant because hydrogen fuel-cell equipment introduces service requirements that differ from those of conventional diesel machines and battery-only electric trucks. Technicians need to work with high-voltage systems, hydrogen storage and refuelling interfaces as well as the mechanical systems of a reach stacker. The published information confirms specialist technical assistance but does not set out the full training programme, inspection intervals, emergency-response procedures or spare-parts policy.
During the trial, fleet managers will be able to assess practical measures such as availability during container-handling cycles, refuelling time under operating conditions, service intervention requirements, hydrogen consumption, battery behaviour and operator acceptance. These factors will determine whether the technology can meet the requirements of a particular terminal more reliably than a powertrain specification alone.
Tilbury’s hydrogen project forms part of a wider decarbonisation programme
The reach stacker is part of a broader decarbonisation programme at the Port of Tilbury and across the Forth Ports Group. Forth Ports has set a target of achieving net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2042 and identifies electrification, on-site renewable energy, shore power and alternative fuels including hydrogen as elements of its strategy.
Forth Ports’ hydrogen plans extend beyond one vehicle. The company has described Tilbury as a location for commercial-scale hydrogen production for heavy industry. Earlier plans involving RWE and Mitsui examined hydrogen production and the potential use of hydrogen to replace fossil fuels in port equipment.
The reach stacker gives the port a specific heavy-duty application in which to assess whether hydrogen infrastructure can support continuous industrial activity. The results may also inform decisions about other large mobile machines, including empty-container handlers and terminal tractors. However, the Tilbury deployment does not establish that hydrogen is the preferred solution for every fleet: suitability will depend on duty cycles, site infrastructure, refuelling requirements, electricity availability and the performance of alternative technologies.
Questions fleet managers may ask
Is the Tilbury reach stacker a standard production machine?
No. Hyster describes the deployment as a pre-production trial intended to evaluate hydrogen fuel-cell technology in demanding port operations. [1]
How much hydrogen can the reach stacker store?
The machine has high-pressure tanks designed to store 32 kg of hydrogen. Hyster says this is intended to support operation across a full 12-hour shift. [1]
What is the stated annual CO2 saving?
Hyster projects a reduction of more than 107,000 kg of CO2 per year against a diesel baseline of 40,000 litres annually. The figure is a calculated estimate, not a published measured trial result. [1]
Who will maintain the hydrogen reach stacker?
Briggs Equipment UK will provide frontline service and maintenance, supported by Hyster specialists and the company’s Hypercare factory-support programme. [1]