In Germany, heavy goods movements account for a significant portion of the total traffic volume. Trucks and delivery vehicles account for 38 percent of CO2 emissions in road traffic, according to statistics from the Federal Statistical Office.
It is obvious that the sector will have to rely on vehicles that are substantially more environmentally friendly in the future. The industry, on the other hand, does not have many options in this area. Furthermore, the transition will be challenging and costly for businesses.
Two drive versions are now competing to replace the diesel engine. The fuel cell and the electric motor. The major truck manufacturers are still split on how to proceed with development. Mercedes, for example, offers both alternatives, while Hyundai relies on hydrogen and other manufacturers choose electric propulsion. Furthermore, a lot of IT businesses rely on batteries as their primary source of energy.
Filling up a Tesla truck takes three hours
This also applies to Nikola, a corporation located in Salt Lake City and Ulm, in addition to Tesla. Both firms claim to be able to tackle the problem of limited range. There are currently a few trucks that can travel small distances, often up to 300 kilometers per day, and these distances make for a significant portion of Germany’s daily kilometers. However, freight flow is primarily ensured by long-distance transportation.
Tesla’s truck (dubbed “Semi Truck”) has an 800-kilometer range. The battery is estimated to be a one-megawatt hour in size. Even with a 350-kilowatt fast charger, it takes around three hours to completely charge the battery again. Tesla claims that the range is adequate since drivers will eventually reach their maximum allowed driving duration. However, the question is if there is always a fast charger accessible.
As a result, the fuel cell is of particular importance for huge 40-ton trucks. Nikola, a US firm that just hired former Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller, sees a lot of potential in hydrogen propulsion. The Nikola Tre FCEV will have a range of up to 1,300 kilometers and will be ready in 2023. Furthermore, hydrogen can be refueled considerably more quickly. A refueling break would probably just take a few minutes, rather than three hours as with Tesla.
Fuel cell startup has a lot of potential
However, the fuel cell has a number of drawbacks. To begin with, the technology is prohibitively costly. So yet, nothing is known about how long such a cell may survive. Long-haul trucks frequently travel 150,000 kilometers or more each year. Because the fuel cell is still in its early stages of research, its usage in trucks is fraught with uncertainty.
In the meantime, a German firm is attempting to bring the best of both worlds together. Instead of utilizing hydrogen in a fuel cell, the Munich-based business Keyou has developed methods to transform diesel engines into hydrogen engines. In December, the business secured a 16 million euro round of financing and stated that it is collaborating with a number of automobile companies.
If Keyou’s technology delivers on its promises, all diesel trucks may be converted in a matter of weeks. Apart from water vapor, these would thereafter generate no further emissions. There are still obstacles to overcome: To begin with, the range is “just” 500 kilometers. Outside of Germany, however, there are still no hydrogen filling stations. Despite the fact that the network is substantially established in this nation, there are few fuel stations in France.
Trucks must become generators of power
The hydrogen itself is also a concern. Around 98 percent of it is created from coal and gas in Europe, which does not contribute to the CO2 balance. Hydrogen may only be considered completely sustainable if it is generated using renewable energy sources or when the CO2 created during manufacturing is collected and stored. However, the necessary resources are presently unavailable. There’s also the question of whether batteries as intermediate storage aren’t better suited to the grid in the first place. Trucks, for example, can help to stabilize the system by storing and delivering power.
So, which technology will win out in the end? At the present, it’s difficult to say. Over the next ten years, the EU plans to heavily push hydrogen as an energy source. This might provide a significant boost to the technology. On the other side, there are significant firms like Tesla, whose electric ideology has already made a mark in the private transportation sector. Regardless matter whether technological drive wins out in the end, businesses still have a lot of development work ahead of them.
