Swedish CV maker Volvo Trucks announced that it has started testing Fuel Cell electric trucks powered by hydrogen. Customer pilots will begin in the next few years, a press release from the company said.
Expected to go on sale in the second half of this decade, these trucks will have an operational range of up to 1,000 km and a refuelling time of less than 15 minutes, the company said.
Roger Alm, President, Volvo Trucks, said that the company has been testing the technology for some years now. “Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucks will be especially suitable for long distances and heavy, energy-demanding assignments. They could also be an option in countries where battery charging possibilities are limited,” he added.
It added that the truck will weigh around 65 tonne or even higher, and the two fuel cells have the capacity to generate 300 kW of electricity onboard.
The fuel cells will be supplied by Cellcentric, the joint venture between the Volvo Group and Daimler Truck AG, the release added.
Cellcentric will build one of Europe’s largest series production facilities for fuel cells, specially developed for heavy vehicles.
Alm said, “The fuel cell trucks will then be an important complement for longer and heavier transports in a few years from now.”