For long haul and short haul applications, Gaussin introduces the world’s first “skateboard” for class 8 tractor and straight trucks ranging from 18t to 44t – either hydrogen or all-electric.
It’s made up of a mobile, adaptable, and scalable platform that caters to a variety of market players.
Traditional truck makers and autonomous navigation software providers, will benefit from the solution. The skateboard is aimed at anyone who wants to use a hydrogen and electric platform for safe and intelligent transportation. Gaussin expects a global rollout as early as 2021 through an assembly and marketing licensing scheme to reduce time-to-market.
The skateboard houses the main components and systems needed to build next-generation road trucks, including a Magna-developed ultra-light chassis that weighs 400 kg less than competing chassis, as well as hydrogen tanks, fuel cells, electric motors, drives, axles, and suspensions.
The zero-emission skateboard’s main goal is to hasten the transition to sustainable and intelligent freight transportation solutions. The skateboard tractor and carrier is available in two versions: a long-distance hydrogen version with a range of 800 km and a hydrogen refueling time of less than 20 minutes; and an all-electric version for short distances with a range of 400 km and a battery change time of 3 minutes.
The skateboard will be the central truck technology for a range of applications such as transporting semi-trailers, boxes, tippers, tanks, or drums with capacities ranging from 18 to 44 tons as early as 2021, with global road truck players able to access these platforms to combine their own cabs, apps, and equipment configurations.
Gaussin’s aim is to have a network of licensees manufacture the skateboard in order to speed up its international deployment. Gaussin’s ambitious program of 41 licenses over 36 months will enable it to capture 5% of the clean-energy truck market, or 450,000 vehicles in total, by 2031.
