World’s Top Truckmakers Adapt Engines for Low-Emission Hydrogen

Electric batteries are too heavy for long-haul freight and take a long time to charge. 

Hydrogen fuel cells can generate electricity more efficiently, reducing truck weight and extending range. However, transitioning to hydrogen fuel cells is costly because new truck designs and systems are needed.

Also read: EU truck emission goals in jeopardy as German coalition clashes

 “Everybody is working on this,” said Reiner Roessner, vice president for sales at the engine division of MAN Truck & Bus SE, part of Volkswagen trucking unit Traton, even as green hydrogen produced by renewable sources is not yet widely available. “As soon as the hydrogen is available, demand for hydrogen combustion will go up.”

Truckmakers continue to invest in hydrogen fuel cells, believing that both hydrogen and electric batteries can coexist and serve different vehicle types and applications.

Anders Johansson, Vice President for Heavy-Duty Vehicles at Vancouver-based Westport Fuel Systems, stated that his company has already supplied fueling systems for 6,000 combustion engine trucks in Europe that run on natural gas or biogas and can be easily adapted to use hydrogen.

Westport’s engine system currently uses 1% diesel to ignite hydrogen, but Johansson noted that this amount will be reduced and eventually replaced with a carbon-free fuel.

Additionally, hydrogen trucks require larger pressurized tanks than those used for diesel. 

To address this, firms like Munich-based startup Keyou are developing different tank shapes to make them more compact. Ensuring the safety of these tanks is crucial, as hydrogen is highly flammable.