谢丽尔:可替代能源也是叉车的好选择

Cheryl Bikowski is the marketing communications supervisor at Gamber-Johnson. Gamber-Johnson provides top-of-the-line forklift mounting systems to businesses in the materials handling industry. 

谢丽尔是约翰逊公司的市场营销总监。约翰逊公司在物料搬运行业中，为商户提供顶级的叉车车架系统

Increasing fuel costs and growing support for eco-friendly production practices are driving large and small companies alike to consider ways to green their operations. Alternative fuel sources can cut harmful emissions and reduce costs when used in workplace vehicles. As such, they should be considered by any business that is looking to reduce costs. 

不断增加的燃料成本消耗以及随着低碳环保产品的实践应用的增长，即便是小型公司也在考虑如何使日常生产更加经济。

在工程车辆工作的区域，可替代燃料资源就可以减少有害排放并且降低费用。理所当然的，这类车辆就被考虑在任何的生产活动中，以降低成本。

Benefits of using alternative fuel 
Companies can realise many benefits by switching to a renewable fuel source, including: 
• Improved fuel efficiency: Alternative fuels offer better efficiency than traditional fuels, which means that lift trucks can perform for longer on one tank of fuel. Across a large operation, this can have a big impact. 

使用可替代燃料的益处有：

在更换为新的能源后，公司会意识到很多好处，包括以下：

l       提高燃料效率：可替代燃料比传统燃料有着更高的使用效率。这意味着，叉车可以在一罐燃料的情况下工作时间更长。

更长的工作时间则效益更明显。

• Lowered costs: Better fuel efficiency translates to reduced costs for vehicle operation. Over time, this recoups the monies spent on new lift trucks and translates to savings for the company. 

l       更低成本：较好的燃料效率意味着可以降低成本，随着时间增长，在一台新的叉车上会回收成本并且为公司转化为节省的金钱。
• Public goodwill: Companies which embrace green technology can receive a boost in the public perception for their environmental activism. 

l       公众的意愿：那些使用绿色环保技术的公司，将会在环境保护的公众认知上取得积极的印象。
• Environmental benefits: Switching to alternative energy sources will emit less greenhouse gas and air pollutants, reduce domestic dependence on foreign oil and boost the local economy. 

l       环境保护收益：切换为可替代燃料，会减少温室气体排放以及大气污染，减少对进口燃料的依赖性并且带动本地经济的发展。

Types of alternative fuel 
While there are many different types of alternative fuel, not all are well suited for lift trucks. At present, fuel options include: 

可替代燃料的种类：

现在有很多种类的可替代燃料，并不是所有的都适合叉车，目前可以选择的燃料有：

• Biogas (RNG or renewable natural gas): Biogas is a natural byproduct of anaerobic digestion of organic matter. As such, it is easily renewable and can turn organic matter from landfills, livestock and wastewater into fuel. Biogas is seen as a green option because it captures methane that would otherwise be introduced into the atmosphere, creates local jobs and offers an alternative to fossil fuels. 

l       沼气（RNG或者可再生的天然气）：沼气是有机物发生厌氧分解的副产物，并且很容易通过填埋气、牲畜粪便以及废水等再生处理而得到。沼气被视为是一种绿色能源因为其包含甲烷，而甲烷则可以无害排放到大气中。可以增加当地就业机会以及提供化学工业燃料。

• Natural gas: There are two main types of natural gas - compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Both are inexpensive, readily available in most countries and clean-burning. 

l       天然气：有两种主要形式的天然气-压缩天然气（CNG）以及液化天然气（LNG）。在大多数国家这两种都比较便宜，可靠，并且燃烧很清洁

• Hydrogen: Hydrogen is an attractive alternative fuel source because it does not produce harmful emissions. It has been used to fuel space flight since the 1950s. Commonly, hydrogen is used in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. 

l       氢气：氢气是一种很有前景的可替代燃料资源，因为其燃烧后没有任何污染。自20世纪50年代时，就作为宇航燃料来使用。并且众所周知，氢气也被用在氢燃料电池汽车里。

• Ethanol: Made from corn, ethanol is a natural fuel that is widely available in some countries. Much of the gasoline in the USA already contains 10% ethanol by weight. Alternative fuel vehicles can run on a higher concentration of ethanol fuel, conserving resources. 

l       乙醇：从粮食中获得，在很多国家乙醇作为一种光然使用的燃料存在。在美国，很多汽油中都含有百分之十重量的乙醇。使用可替代燃料的汽车可以使用很高含量的乙醇燃料，保护环境。

Selecting the right type of fuel 
While biogas is popular in Germany, where one-quarter of publicly available natural gas refueling stations use 100% RNG, it is not yet widespread in the USA. As such, it may not be a good choice for lift trucks since sourcing RNG can be difficult. If there is a source of biogas near you, it can be an energy-efficient and cost-effective option. Sanitation trucks in Los Angeles County run on biogas produced from county landfill waste. 
选择正确的燃料形式：

沼气在德国很受欢迎，并且四分之一的公众加天然气展使用100%的沼气，这在美国也将会很快发展起来。虽然如此，对于叉车来说并不是一个好的选择，因为其资源获取比较困难。如果在你附近有一个沼气资源，那么就可以是一个很高效很经济的选择。在洛杉矶的环保卡车则使用垃圾填埋场里生产的沼气。

If you have the option of purchasing new forklifts outfitted with hydrogen fuel cells, or slowly replacing old trucks with HFC vehicles, this can be a very good option. 
如果有机会可以购买新的叉车，选择氢燃料电池型的或者缓慢年替代电动叉车，则会是一个很好的选择。

Natural gas fuel can be a very good option for forklifts, since it is readily available and inexpensive. It may be easier to find new and used forklifts that consume natural gas, making this a convenient option for companies. Likewise, ethanol is widely available and makes a convenient choice for forklift fuel. 
天然气燃料是一个非常好的叉车燃料，由于它很可靠而且便宜。

很容易就会找到使用天然气的叉车，使得对于公司来说是一种很方便的选择，比如，乙醇燃料也是被广泛认可的叉车燃料的一种选择。
The alternative fuel tax credit, which covers fuel used in lift trucks, makes it even more cost effective to switch to alternative fuels. At present, the US federal government also offers tax credits for purchasing alternative fuel cell vehicles through December 2014, which can encourage a switch. If you are considering greening your warehouse by purchasing lift trucks that run on alternative fuel, these government incentives may be the extra push that you need to commit.

使用可替代燃料有税减免，并且包含叉车的燃料使用费用里，这使得更换为可替代燃料后更加节省成本。目前，美国环保署仍然对购买2014年11月的替代燃料车辆提供税款减免。这将鼓励人们进行更替。如果你有意考虑在车间里更换采购使用可替代燃料的叉车，这些政府的积极措施将会推动你做出决定。