Backed by the EU through the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, the €20 million LtA project aims to accelerate large-scale hydrogen adoption across logistics, industry and mobility. Centered around the River Aire between Bradford and Leeds and positioned along a key transport route connecting Liverpool and Hull, the project focuses on real‑world deployment in one of the UK’s busiest logistics corridors.
As a programme partner, Intelligent Energy – working alongside Briggs Equipment UK Ltd, the UK distributor for Hyster-Yale Materials Handling – will deploy fuel cell‑powered forklift trucks equipped with its IE‑LIFT™ battery box replacement (BBR) units. The trucks will enter operation from June 2028 and will support warehousing across two major logistics hubs in the valley.
IE-LIFT is a drop-in replacement for traditional industrial battery tanks, integrating a fuel cell, buffer battery and hydrogen storage into a single compact unit. Refueling takes around three minutes, eliminating long charging cycles while retaining the quiet, zero-emission operation of electric drive. The systems are already in commercial use in demanding environments, including BMW’s manufacturing sites in Germany.
Each IE-LIFT system offers more than 30,000 hours of service life and integrates seamlessly into a wide range of standard forklift classes without compromising payload capacity or manoeuvrability.
David Fields, Head of Product Line, IE-POWER at Intelligent Energy, said, “The US market has set the pace in hydrogen intralogistics, with fuel cell-powered forklift trucks operating at Walmart, Amazon and other major organizations over the past decade.
“Our fuel cells are proven to be robust, durable and efficient, following a successful deployment at BMW’s Leipzig plant since 2023.
“This project gives us the opportunity to deploy our IE-LIFT technology on home soil, and to demonstrate its value to operators across the UK and Europe.”
The LtA Hydrogen Valley aims to remove barriers to hydrogen adoption by linking production, distribution and end use within a single regional ecosystem. In addition to material handling, the project will support the rollout of more than 150 hydrogen passenger transport vehicles, with the aim of achieving near- diesel operating cost parity through centralised supply.
By embedding hydrogen-powered equipment within active logistics sites, the project will demonstrate hydrogen’s potential to cut emissions while improving operational efficiency.
For Intelligent Energy, the deployment marks a step towards wider adoption of hydrogen fuel cells in UK warehousing and intralogistics – sectors where fast refuelling, predictable duty cycles and high utilisation make hydrogen a strong operational fit.
