July 2, 2023
Manitou Group, Ancenis, France, has won in the “decarbonization” category at the 2023 Sustainable Industry Awards. The award recognizes the innovativeness and sustainability of the Group’s hydrogen program.
Organized by L’Usine nouvelle, a French business and industrial news magazine, the awards recognize innovative projects that marry profitability and sustainability in industry. Among the 70 entries submitted for this year’s event, the jury singled out Manitou Group’s hydrogen-focused approach, and in particular the development of two prototype telehandlers running on green hydrogen.
Presented in December 2022, the world’s first prototype telehandler powered by a fuel cell will soon be tested on a worksite. Julien Waechter, vice president R&D, Manitou Group, said, “We’ve now reached the second state of our project: testing the machine in real-life conditions. In a few months’ time, it will be joined by a second prototype of a rotating telehandler with even greater lifting capacity.
“More than anything, this prize rewards the innovation at the heart of Manitou Group’s DNA, and our determination to accelerate our energy transition.”
Manitou Group said it is keen to promote and accelerate the development of the French hydrogen industry, having joined with local green energy producers. As a result of the technologies implemented in its products and the use of green hydrogen, the Group estimates that the carbon emissions linked to the entire life cycle of a telehandler will be a quarter those of a combustion engine machine.
