H2 lorries and trucks for sale in

The logistics sector shows a strong and growing interest in zero-emission solutions to reduce emissions and environmental impact on air quality. In urban areas, zero-emission logistics can be operated by battery-electric trucks. However, their range is limited. For large heavy-duty vehicles traveling long distances, electric trucks with a hydrogen fuel cell range extender are a zero-emission solution.

More than 9 million hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicles could be built to support aggressive targets in markets such as California, China, Japan and South Korea, according to a new market report released by Wood Mackenzie. In the near term, however, hydrogen is more likely to be used for heavier vehicles such as buses and heavy trucks, said report author Ben Gallagher, a carbon and emerging technology subject matter expert for Wood Mackenzie's Energy Transition Practice. At present, hydrogen fuel cells have barely registered an impact on the global automotive market. WoodMac estimates that there were about 17,000 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles on the road worldwide so far, nearly half of them in the U.S.

The EU has mandated that from 2025, heavy-duty vehicles will have to emit 15% less CO2, rising to 30% from 2030. The organization adds that, as a first step, CO2 emission standards will cover large trucks, which account for 65-70% of all CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles.

At this time, there are some obstacles to the broadly cost-effective deployment of heavy-duty hydrogen electric vehicles in the market. To arrive at a good TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) model, these must be addressed; the cost of hydrogen must decrease significantly, the number of hydrogen refueling stations must increase, and the reliability of the hydrogen fuel cell system must increase.

Despite being the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen must be extracted from compounds such as water or methane, and the processes for doing so have not been low-cost or low-carbon until recently. The most common production method today is steam methane reforming, which can be a low-carbon process when used with carbon capture or a biomass feedstock. Another is electrolysis, a process that extracts hydrogen from water. In its "Pathway to Hydrogen Competitiveness" report, the Hydrogen Council says electrolysis by renewables is 60% more affordable, as renewable and low-carbon electricity prices have fallen and electrolysis capital expenditures have declined.

"We believe that fuel cell technology is moving in the right direction. Initially we had problems where the truck wouldn't even get out our door without having a problem. Now, the trucks are able to move 20 tons easily without a problem. The investment in fuel cell technology has improved dramatically. We have new players in the heavy-duty game (the OEMs and integrators). That's a big advantage. And downtime has come down very quickly. Now, we have more problems on the mechanical side than with fuel cell technology, which is a big improvement."

Ultimately, hydrogen fuel cells will be more economically viable than battery electric vehicles because of the power needed to haul heavy loads, the space available in the truck cab and the constant use required for heavy-duty applications just to make them economical.