Mining firm Ark Energy Corporation has signed an agreement with hydrogen truck maker Hyzon Motors for the delivery of five hydrogen trucks.

The vehicles will replace diesel equivalents, reducing CO₂ emissions by 1,400t/yr.

“When we scoured the world for fuel-cell trucks, we found that Hyzon Motors was the only hydrogen mobility company that could manufacture fuel cells stacks with a sufficient power density to meet our requirements including the ultra-heavy payload and built to Australian Design Rules,” says Ark Energy CEO Daniel Kim.

“Hyzon Motors was the only hydrogen mobility company that could manufacture fuel cells stacks with a sufficient power” Kim, Ark Energy

Hyzon says it has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with a European customer who has also expressed interest in its 154t trucks.

Hyzon says hydrogen fuel cells are considered the best option for decarbonising road transport as charging batteries for that size of electric vehicle offers significant challenges for the grid.

Hydrogen prices in Australia already make hydrogen vehicles competitive with diesel ones on a total cost-of-ownership basis.

Cheaper than diesel

Hyzon believes that, within two years, the firm will be able to show fleet-wide total cost-of-ownership figures that are cheaper than diesel total cost-of-ownership figures in most jurisdictions.

Smaller vehicles in the road transport sector may be better-suited to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), according to a report by thinktank the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC).

“Dramatic falls in the price of lithium-ion batteries, and steady improvements in battery energy density and charging times (both past and prospective) have widened the distance and size ranges across which BEVs can compete with hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicless. This is especially true for business models and routes where overnight depot charging is possible,” says the ETC’s global hydrogen report.

“However, FCEVs may play a significant role over long distances, in particular in cases where trucks seldom return to depots overnight, in locations where high-capacity charging points cannot be installed, or for energy-demanding applications.”

Ark Energy Corporation is an Australian subsidiary of Korea Zinc—the largest zinc, lead and silver producer in the world.

---

Author: Tom Young