Volvo Trucks said it is now running tests of its fuel cell electric trucks that only emit water vapor and have an operational range comparable to diesel trucks, up to 1,000 kilometers (600 miles-plus).
A second pilot phase will follow beginning in 2025 whereby its customers will test the vehicles on public roads in northern Europe. After this, additional testing will occur in other countries.
A fuel cell will generate its electricity from the hydrogen onboard, rather than needing an electric charge from an outside source. The Volvo electric trucks will use two fuel cells with a capacity to generate 300 kW of power and will have a refuel time of fewer than 15 minutes.
Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucks will be especially suitable for long-distance and heavy, energy-demanding runs, and where electric battery charging is limited, it will allow operators to run greater distances.
“I believe that the pilot tests will highlight the potential for fuel cell electric trucks. The tests will run in a demanding, harsh climate and it also gives us a great opportunity for driving with heavy loads up to 65 tons,” said Jessica Sandström, the Senior Vice President of Global Product Management at Volvo Trucks.
These tests have been designed to view different aspects of the truck’s operation including working components, handling, and driver experience.
If you haven’t heard much about hydrogen fuel cell technology, don’t worry—it is still a fairly new power source.
Along with its environmental benefits—again only water vapor is emitted—there are challenges.
These vehicles utilize green hydrogen—and its supply is derived from renewable energy sources, such as wind, water, and sun. Infrastructure still needs to be developed.
To overcome the lack of available hydrogen when running the pilots, the filling of green hydrogen from renewable sources will be done at Volvo Truck’s home depot.
“We expect the supply of green hydrogen to increase significantly during the next couple of years since many industries will depend on it to reduce CO2 (carbon dioxide). The fuel cell trucks will be important for longer and heavier transportation in a few years from now,” Sandström explained.
The hydrogen fuel cells are supplied by Cellcentric as part of a joint venture between the Volvo Group and Daimler Truck AG. Cellcentric will build one of Europe’s largest series production facilities for fuel cells, developed specifically for heavy vehicles.