Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucks

Getting hydrogen to fuel these trucks is still a concern

This post looks at the latest commercialized hydrogen fuel cell trucks, their range and hydrogen consumption.

 

In a recent CARB (California Air Resources Board) discussed their intention of pulling forward the last date for sale of internal combustion engine trucks by 4 years - now to 2036. The latest of this Advanced Clean Fleets rule is summarized here.

 

One of the requirements for a successful implementation of such a plan is the availability of zero-emitting vehicles (ZEVs) in the commercial trucking sector. One option is battery electrics, another is hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. The latter has lagged, both in terms of the truck model options and also the fueling infrastructure. But much progress is being made by several new fuel cell electric truck and bus models announced in recent months. 

 

The chart here summarizes the announced range of these heavy-duty vehicles, plotted agains the onboard hydrogen carrying capacity. Approximately, 15 kgs of H2 gets you 100 miles of range.

 

In a previous post, we have argued that that's a lot of hydrogen that will be required to convert even a small fraction of the US diesel fleet to fuel cells. And that still holds, despite the increased models. Briefly, the previous article shows that the US will have to double its hydrogen production - and get it from green sources (electrolysis of water using renewable energy) - to convert only a quarter of its long-haul fleet today.

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