‘Not sustainable’
Vittore Fulvi, owner of a trucking company based in Perugia, central Italy, runs a fleet of 60 diesel semi-trucks that manage 2,000 km (1,243 mi) – four days’ driving – on a single tank.
Fulvi Trasporti is considering hydrogen as heavier BEV alternatives would cut its load capacity by 15% and require daily charging.
“We will need to buy more lorries, more than one for every 10 we have,” Fulvi said. “It’s not sustainable.”
Ford (FN) fleet customers drive large diesel vans up to 600 miles (966 km) per day, often carrying refrigerated goods requiring additional energy that would overwhelm a BEV.
“We need a Plan B for those customers,” said Tim Slater, Ford’s UK head.
Heavy-duty pickup trucks used in the United States for everything from delivery trucks to ambulances could also switch to hydrogen.
With the notable exception of Tesla, whose CEO Elon Musk derided fuel cells as “silly cells”, nearly all automakers have invested in hydrogen technology.
General Motors and Toyota are both testing fuel cells for larger vehicles, including semi-trucks and trains, to build scale and lower costs.
Toyota recently secured funding from the UK government to develop a hydrogen version of its Hilux pickup in partnership with insurance industry research group Thatcham Research, with a prototype due this summer.
Charlie Freese, executive director of GM’s hydrotech business, said GM has received a US government grant to develop four heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell pickups, which should become a “sweet spot” for the technology.
Volkswagen truck unit Triton is not currently investing in hydrogen because it, so deep in debt from its acquisition of US truckmaker Navistar, can only afford BEV investments, CEO Christian Levin said.
He added that Triton would rely on others for hydrogen if needed. While Volkswagen is not currently investing in fuel cells, it holds hundreds of patents surrounding the technology.