Alternative fuel-powered vehicles are all the rage these days. And with the U.S. government making a big push to transition to electric cars and trucks, expect to the conversation around oil and alternative fuel to only ramp up as we get closer to a post-oil future.
Except, there is one problem: The ecosystem. Any new fueling paradigm requires an ecosystem to support it. And while the U.S. and countries around the world are rapidly adopting electric charging stations, the ecosystem needed for widespread hydrogen fuel-cell adoption is still very far from going mainstream.
The Move Towards Hydrogen
Still, companies around the world are working rapidly and forming consortiums and industry associations to help advance fuel-cell adoption, both in vehicles and in the charging and refueling infrastructure. This is especially true for heavy-duty applications. In the European Union, as one example, they have set up several fuel cell and hydrogen projects, with the most prominent being the FCH2JU initiative.
Another EU consortium consists of 25 companies and organizations operating in the hydrogen sector. EU governments will work with these companies to test and develop the first European standard for fuel cell modules specifically for use in heavy-duty trucking applications. The group will be initially made up of 11 fuel cell OEMs and module suppliers, 9 equipment manufacturers, 5 research companies and then various testing and engineering institutes.
These groups are setting up policies, procedures, and interoperability standards to standardize hydrogen fuel cell infrastructure. They will be looking at just about everything that goes into a fuel cell vehicle to determine what the right standards are. They will be evaluating:
- Physical dimensions
- Digital interfaces
- Flow standards
- Testing protocols
- Safety requirements
- Fuel cell module requirements
Their evaluation will cover all commercial motor vehicle types, including buses, trucks, trains, ships, and construction vehicles. They will also be developing materials for fuel cell components specific to heavy-duty applications. Their end goal is to develop and provide high-performance fuel cell components specific to heavy-duty big rigs with a goal of 30,000 life/hours.
From Conception to Production
Some of the largest industrial companies in Europe are putting their weight behind various initiatives to help push and promote hydrogen fuel cell use in tractor trailers. These industrial heavyweights are partnering with OEM and end user suppliers, fuel stack makers and other systems manufacturers, as well as the technology companies responsible for manufacturing membrane electrode assemblies and other core components.
The membrane electrode assembly could be considered the most important part of a hydrogen fuel cell drive line assembly. This component is responsible for producing the electrochemical reaction needed to separate the electrons from the hydrogen atom and create power.
Many trucking companies have already stepped into the space and begun working on real-world components for hydrogen-powered drive trains. Their states aim is to create a hydrogen ecosystem in parallel with OEM vehicle deployments and they want to this at a global level. Together, with other industry partners, they have been aligning the supply to the demand side of the sector and are working to overcome some of the biggest hurdles faced by the hydrogen industry.
Industry partners have teamed up to create the Zero Carbon Alliance, a non-profit group of interested parties that aim to put hydrogen power on the map in a big way. The Zero Carbon Alliance has been hard at work identifying opportunities and industry partners to help them prioritize demand and create a robust hydrogen supply chain.
Hydrogen Power as a Global Goal
Moves in Europe and here in the United States dovetail quite nicely with moves in Asia. In Japan, for example, Isuzu Motors, Hino Motors, and Toyota Motor Corp. have set up an alliance of their own to develop Toyota’s CASE technologies. The CASE program stands for:
- Connected Vehicles
- Autonomous Driving
- Shared Driving
- Electric Vehicles
The companies involved plan to work jointly to develop battery electric and fuel cell vehicles. They will also be focusing on autonomous and semi-autonomous driving technologies, electronic platforms for small commercial trucks, and interoperability for disparate systems.
In Sweden, well-known truck maker Scania has already made plans to begin manufacturing hydrogen-powered heavy commercial motor vehicles in China beginning early next year. Scania stands apart from other OEMs working in China because they were approved to buy into more than 50% of a Chinese truck builder.
Meanwhile, an Italian truck manufacturer is partnering with an autonomous-tech developer to develop autonomous hydrogen-powered fuel cell trucks that will be sold in Europe, China and elsewhere. And with DHL Express making moves towards an entirely electric fleet in Europe by 2030, expect big names in the industry to get behind this push.
Another company in New Zealand has selected a U.S. company to supply hydrogen fuel cells to CMVs manufactured in the Netherlands. No doubt, the push towards a hydrogen-powered future for the trucking industry is a worldwide endeavor.
Daimler Aims to Become a Hydrogen Heavyweight
Amidst all these big industry pushes, one of the biggest names in truck manufacturing, Daimler, is putting a lot of money and resources into dominating the hydrogen landscape for future trucks. This past April, they began rigorous testing of their second-gen hydrogen-powered tractor. This latest testing is considered by the company to be one of the most important milestones in moving their manufacturing towards hydrogen fuel cells.
Daimler has come out stating that their goal is to build hydrogen-powered fuel cells for their long-haul vehicles. Once the vehicles have come out of testing and entered full-scale production, the company has stated that they expect a real-world range of up to 600 miles before needing to refuel. Compared to all-electric trucks being developed by Nikola and Tesla, a 600-mile range is quite competitive.
Having started their advanced testing in late April, Daimler has been focusing on important factors, such as continuous operation, hazardous weather, or road conditions, driving maneuvers, aerodynamics, and in-cab comfort for truck drivers operating the vehicles.
According to Daimler, during the first few weeks of testing, their GenH2 truck, as it is called, has already covered hundreds of miles of testing under continuous load and gone through more than a few real-life operating scenarios, from an emergency braking event to off-road operating and sudden lane shifts, among other things.
If all goes well, Daimler will test the GenH2 on public roads before the end of 2021 and customer trials will begin in 2023. Final production-level hydrogen trucks should begin delivery to eager customer no later than 2027.
Great Expectations for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology
Certainly, hydrogen fuel cell technology is fairly young and has a long way to go before it reaches market viability. The application is new and there will of course be a learning curve, as there is with all new technologies. Still, motor carriers and other transportation sector companies should not be put off from investigating whether the technology will be right for them.
There are also still questions to be answered from a production standpoint. Hydrogen is produced from a variety of sources, with the most common being steam-methane reforming. This method produces what is referred to as “black” or “grey” hydrogen because of the high-carbon process utilized to produce it.
Hydrogen is also made from natural gas and is widely used in oil refining and fertilizer production. As the world moves towards a clean-power future, there are still questions surrounding the sustainability and environmental footprint of hydrogen fuel-cell production. Even green technologies might have not-so-green bona fides when you look at how they are produced.
In fact, little of today’s hydrogen is used for transportation, which means production and supply will have to change as demand rises. Imagine if we have huge fleets of hydrogen-powered tractor trailers using hydrogen fuel. Expect to see a huge squeeze in raw hydrogen should we see a full-scale move to using the fuel for commercial transportation.
And since many of these hydrogen sources have never been tapped for use in commercial transportation, the hydrogen power supply chain will need to evolve. Of course, these are very early days for the hydrogen power industry and those advocating its use in commercial transport. Still, hydrogen fuel cell technology provides enticing benefits, both from a cost and environmental perspective. Yet, to see widespread adoption, a lot of the issues we have brought up here need to be addressed. How quickly that happens and how soon we see hydrogen-powered rigs on the road still remains to be seen.