Vehicle manufacturer Volvo says it will begin selling fuel-cell electric trucks (FCETs) by the end of this decade.

The FCETs will have an operational range of up to 1,000 km—comparable to diesel vehicles—and a refuelling time of less than 15 minutes.

The firm has been developing the technology for many years and is testing prototypes, according to Roger Alm, president of Volvo’s truck division.

“Hydrogen-powered FCETs 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 says.

Customer pilots will start “in a few years” and commercialisation is planned for “the latter part of this decade”.

“Hydrogen-powered fuel-cell electric trucks will be especially suitable for long distances” Alm, Volvo

The two major challenges ahead are the supply of green hydrogen and the development of refuelling infrastructure, according to Alm.

“We expect the supply of green hydrogen to increase significantly during the next couple of years, since many industries will depend on it to reduce CO₂,” he says.

“My clear message to all transport companies is to start the journey today with battery-electric, biogas and the other options available. The fuel-cell trucks will then be an important complement for longer and heavier transports in a few years from now”.

Large haulage vehicles are better suited to running on hydrogen fuel cells than grid-charged batteries, according to speakers at a PE Live event on the use of hydrogen in haulage.

The complications of grid-charging for heavier battery-electric vehicles mean hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are likely to be the preferred solution for many fleet operators.

Hydrogen vehicles could soon reach cost parity with diesel vehicles depending on geographical location, according to the speakers at the event.

Research firm Juniper Research expects the number of hydrogen vehicles in service globally to exceed 1mn in 2027, up from just over 60,000 currently, it says in a recent publication, titled Hydrogen Vehicles: Key Trends, Segment Analysis & Market Forecasts 2022-2027.

---

Author: Tom Young