HANOVER, Germany — Whereas the auto trade struggles to persuade customers that hydrogen gas cell autos have a spot in every day transportation, truckmakers see big potential for the expertise.
It is a matter of chemistry, Andreas Gorbach, Daimler Vehicles’ technical chief, mentioned at IAA Transportation 2022. No battery chemistry will ever outperform how a lot power engineers can retailer with hydrogen, he mentioned.
“Should you take the weather with the largest distinction in electrochemical that provides you the best power, the best voltage and the best potential power density cell, you’ll by no means come even near the hydrogen,” Gorbach mentioned.
Even with a big breakthrough, battery chemistry may solely attain a thirtieth of the power that hydrogen packs.
“There should not components that may compete with hydrogen,” Gorbach mentioned.
To make certain, there are nonetheless main obstacles to beat earlier than hydrogen gas cell vehicles can begin to exchange diesel tractors. There’s nearly no fueling infrastructure. The present hydrogen provide chain could not assist vehicles by the hundred-thousands.
And hydrogen refining is soiled, defeating the aim of a zero-tailpipe emissions automobile. The trade should ramp up producing hydrogen with photo voltaic, wind and different renewable power to meet its inexperienced promise.
Gorbach worries that the infrastructure bottleneck will depart trucking firms with out the most suitable choice as governments ban diesel engines.
Even because it develops gas cell vehicles, Daimler continues to push into the battery electrical truck market. It unveiled a European mannequin with new battery chemistry at IAA Transportation final week. Daimler CEO Martin Daum informed Automotive Information that the powertrain and battery chemistry on that truck would make its means into Freightliners plying U.S. roads in a number of years.
The thrill at IAA centered on battery electrical and hydrogen gas cell fashions. Daimler, Volvo, BYD, Iveco and almost each different Class 8 truckmaker positioned electrical tractors entrance and middle at their IAA cubicles. They parked the diesel fashions in secondary positions or outdoors on the sprawling Frankfurt advanced.
Daimler, a standalone truck builder after its December 2021 spinoff from the company mum or dad of the Mercedes-Benz automotive enterprise, touted its hydrogen gas cell at a number of IAA places.
Guests to its main sales space launched into quiet and easy rides in Daimler’s GenH2 gas cell idea massive rig. Elsewhere, the German firm displayed the newest technology gas cell stack in growth at Cellcentric, a 50-50 three way partnership with Volvo Group.
In briefings and interviews, Daum mentioned hydrogen expertise with a way of urgency, influenced by the company’s timetable for phasing out diesel transport.
“We’re in a carbon financial system, and carbon heats up the world. … That is not a world we wish to stay in,” he mentioned.
Gasoline cell powertrains, which use hydrogen to generate electrical energy to run motors, are a logical substitute for diesel engines to haul items and supplies over the lengthy routes of the U.S., he mentioned.
The load of the gas and powertrain is lower than that of the heavy batteries electrical vehicles must cowl comparable distances.
Much less weight permits motor carriers to haul extra freight. And gas cell vehicles refill at about the identical pace as combustion engine counterparts.
Volvo additionally expects gas cell expertise to work higher for lengthy ranges and excessive hundreds.
“We all know that it’ll rely so much on the infrastructure and the provision of inexperienced hydrogen and inexperienced electrical energy,” mentioned Jessica Sandström, Volvo Vehicles’ world product administration chief.
Volvo is testing gas cell electrical vehicles that may run about 600 miles between fueling.
It plans to have clients in Europe testing the vehicles in 2025. That can prolong to the U.S. and different markets within the following years.
Nikola Corp. is already testing a gas cell semitrailer within the U.S. and unveiled a model for the European market at IAA Transportation. It plans to launch business manufacturing of the truck at its manufacturing facility in Coolidge, Ariz., within the second half of subsequent yr after which in Europe the next yr, Nikola President Michael Lohscheller informed Automotive Information.
It is also constructing fueling infrastructure, beginning with one station on the Port of Lengthy Seashore and two others in Colton and Ontario close to main Southern California distribution hubs.
“I might promote you a truck, however good luck discovering hydrogen. … I’ve to be sure that I can give you the hydrogen as nicely. We have to deliver these items collectively,” Lohscheller mentioned.
Others are additionally testing gas cell vehicles in real-world situations. Toyota Motor Corp. labored with Kenworth to retrofit 10 diesel-powered Class 8 vehicles into gas cell autos for a pilot program in Southern California.
Its success satisfied Toyota there’s a market promoting the zero-emission expertise to truck producers. It should construct a twin gas cell module meeting line for heavy-duty business at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky subsequent yr.
It plans to maintain a pair prototype gas cell vehicles for its components provide vary within the Los Angeles area.
Different firms are exploring city package deal supply and trades.
A partnership between Hyundai Motor Co. and Iveco Group unveiled the eDAILY Gasoline Cell Electrical Automobile at IAA. It mates Iveco’s giant van to a gas cell system that first appeared in Hyundai’s Nexo crossover.
The van exhibits how automakers are repurposing zero-emission tech developed for vehicles in bigger business autos. The Toyota/Kenworth Class 8 vehicles pair gas cell stacks designed for Toyota’s Mirai sedan.
These advances display how transportation is leaving a world the place inside combustion engines present a solution for almost each mobility use, Gorbach mentioned.
Sandström agreed: “We have to be ready for the whole lot. There won’t be a single silver bullet answer for everybody.”
Leave a Reply