Volvo unveils hydrogen-powered truck with 1,000km range

Swedish truck manufacturer Volvo Trucks has unveiled a hydrogen fuel cell truck which the company claims will have a range of up to 1,000 kilometres and a refuelling time of less than 15 minutes.

The hydrogen fuel cell truck will join other zero-emission truck options already on offer, battery-electric trucks and trucks that run on renewable fuels such as biogas.

“We have been developing this technology for some years now, and it feels great to see the first trucks successfully running on the test track,” said Roger Alm, president of Volvo Trucks.

“The combination of battery electric and fuel cell electric will enable our customers to completely eliminate CO₂ exhaust emissions from their trucks, no matter transport assignments.”

Volvo Trucks’ hydrogen fuel cell electric truck will have an operational range comparable to the majority of diesel trucks, up to 1,000 kilometres, and a refuelling time of less than 15 minutes.

Total weight for the truck will be around 65 tonnes, or even higher, and two fuel cells will generate 300kW of electricity onboard.

Customer pilots will begin to take place in a few years with commercialisation expected for the latter part of the decade – somewhat behind its rivals.

“Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucks will be especially suitable for long distances and heavy, energy-demanding assignments,” said Alm. “They could also be an option in countries where battery charging possibilities are limited.”

Volvo Trucks is coming to the hydrogen fuel cell party somewhat later than some of its rivals. Nikola Corp delivered the first of its Nikola Tre battery-electric vehicle (BEV) pilot trucks to one of Southern California’s leading trucking companies late last year, while the New York-based Hyzon Motors has delivered a number of hydrogen trucks to customers around the globe, including Australia.

And while there are those who are skeptical about the continued development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and trucks, Volvo Trucks’ own Robert Alm expects there remains an important role for this parallel electric technology.

“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,” said Alm.

“However, we cannot wait to decarbonize transport, we are already running late. So, my clear message to all transport companies is to start the journey today with battery electric, biogas, and the other options available. The fuel cell trucks will then be an important complement for longer and heavier transports in a few years from now.”